Mavericks big man Anthony Davis exited Wednesday’s game against Indiana in the first quarter and was eventually ruled out with lower left leg soreness, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Davis played at least 32 minutes in each of Dallas’ first four games, but he was on the injury report prior to Wednesday’s contest, listed as probable due to bilateral Achilles tendinopathy.
According to MacMahon, Davis reacted in pain when he landed after scoring a basket. He was removed from the game when the Mavericks called time out with 4:12 left in the quarter and was taken to the locker room to be evaluated.
“He tried to return. Didn’t wanna take any chances. We’ll see how he feels going forward,” coach Jason Kidd told reporters after the game, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link).
Davis has a long history of injuries that have affected what has otherwise been a brilliant career. He appeared in 76 games during the 2023/24 season, but apart from that he hasn’t exceeded 60 since 2020.
He was only available for nine games last season after Dallas acquired him from the Lakers as the centerpiece of the controversial Luka Doncic trade. He suffered an adductor strain during his debut with the Mavs that sidelined him for 18 games.
Davis came into training camp healthy, except for the need to wear goggles for the rest of his career after undergoing a procedure in July to repair a detached retina in his right eye.
Any Davis injury would be unwelcome news for the Mavericks, who played Wednesday without centers Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Lively is dealing with a right knee sprain, while Gafford has a sprained right ankle and hasn’t played yet this season.