The Dallas Mavericks, fresh off an NBA Finals appearance, were expected to be a formidable team again this season. A starting lineup of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II could be rivaled by few. Key reserves such as Daniel Gafford, Quentin Grimes, and Dante Exum gave them solid depth. Out of those eight names, seven are not around due to injury or being traded. Dante Exum saw his name added to the Mavericks ever-growing injury report, and Dallas won’t be seeing him play anytime soon.
The Mavericks Never-Ending Injury List Continues To Grow
Dante Exum Injury Just Another One Sustained By A Mavericks Player
The Mavericks can’t catch a break. Now some of it is self-inflicted. The Doncic trade has been talked about ad nauseam though, so it won’t be discussed here.
On Friday, Dallas was blown out by the score of 133-96 at the hands of the Houston Rockets. The loss dropped the Mavericks to 33-35, as they have struggled to find enough quality healthy players of late.
They will be down another player though as their nightmarish last month-plus continues. In the game against Houston, guard Dante Exum left the game in the second quarter with a left hand injury. That hand has a broken bone in it, which in all likelihood will end the 29-year-old’s season prematurely.
Yet another injury hit for Dallas: Mavericks guard Dante Exum has suffered a broken bone in his left hand, sources tell ESPN. Exum is now out indefinitely. pic.twitter.com/7D2S0NNjUM
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 15, 2025
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It hadn’t been too long ago that Exum returned from a previous injury. The 6-foot-5 guard missed the first 48 games of the season with a fractured right hand, giving him two major injuries, one to each hand, this season.
This is Exum’s second season with the team after he rejoined the NBA in 2023-24 following two years playing overseas. It was a nice story seeing Exum return after the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft was seen as somewhat of a draft bust. In his 18 outings this season, Exum has averaged 9.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 19.1 minutes. He has shot 48.0% from the field, 44.7% from beyond the arc, and 74.2% from the free-throw line.
Chances Of Reaching Play-In Tournament Dwindling By The Day
The Mavericks entered Friday’s game against Houston with only nine available bodies to play. After Exum’s injury, they exited with just eight.
With how injury-ravaged their roster has become, it is hard to see how they can hold on to the 10th seed they currently hold and an appearance in the Play-In Tournament. Dallas has now lost seven of their last eight contests. Since a 20-11 start, they are 13-24 since.
While the Phoenix Suns aren’t exactly playing inspired basketball, they are at least far more healthy than the Mavericks. On Friday, the Suns were able to earn a victory over the Sacramento Kings. That allowed them to move to within 1.5 games of Dallas for the last Play-In Tournament position.
The Mavericks next play on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers, certainly another struggling team with numerous key injuries. Dallas has 14 games remaining, and with the amount of injuries they have sustained, it’s hard to foresee many future wins. It’s been quite the precipitous fall for the reigning Western Conference champions.
Photo credit: © Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
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