Just five games separate seeds six through 11 in the West — and Dallas is right in the middle of it. The 30-26 Mavericks are currently the No. 8 seed but need to keep racking up wins to avoid falling out of the play-in entirely.
Those wins will be hard to come by with all three of the centers on the Dallas roster — Anthony Davis (adductor strain), Dereck Lively II (ankle stress fracture), and Daniel Gafford (knee strain) — all out for at least two more weeks and to be re-evaluated March 6, something the Mavericks announced on Thursday.
The Dallas Mavericks today announced that Mavericks forward/center Anthony Davis, who suffered a left adductor strain on Feb. 8 against Houston, is making good progress.
Davis will be re-evaluated in two weeks with further updates to follow, as necessary.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) February 20, 2025
Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture) is out of the boot.
Asked Jason Kidd about his status. He said Lively will be re-evaluated on March 6, which will be the “big evaluation” date when the Mavs will “give an update on the bigs (Lively, Gafford and Davis).”
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) February 20, 2025
If you’re looking for a silver lining in Dallas, P.J. Washington appears near a return from his sprained ankle that kept him out for three games just before the All-Star break.
Dallas won four of five games before the break and has some winnable games before March 6, including Friday night’s game against New Orleans and against Charlotte on Feb. 27. Next week, the Mavericks also head west for road games against the Warriors (Sunday) and a big showdown with Luka Doncic and the Lakers on Tuesday. In the coming weeks, Dallas also has a home-and-home against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee.
The Mavericks have a three-game cushion over the Suns for the No. 11 seed and need to rack up wins between now and the end of the season. Which is why they need some of their big men back.
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