UPDATE: According to Marc Stein, Davis is available tonight.
When Anthony Davis ($10,200) made his debut for the Dallas Mavericks on February 8, it became clear why Nico Harrison had coveted him so much in the deal that sent Luka Dončić ($12,300) to the Los Angeles Lakers, as he scored 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the 116-105 win over the Houston Rockets. But 31 minutes after Davis took the floor in a Dallas uniform for the first time, it became clear why Mavericks fans were so apprehensive about the deal; the oft-injured big man grabbed at his thigh.
The adductor strain that Davis suffered that day has kept him out of action for six weeks as Dallas has suffered a slew of other injuries: center Daniel Gafford ($7,400) sustained a knee sprain and guards Kyrie Irving and Dante Exum both suffered season-ending injuries, as well as shorter-term nicks to PJ Washington ($8,200), Brandon Williams ($5,300), and Jaden Hardy ($4,200). Washington, Williams, and Hardy are all back, though, and Gafford and Dereck Lively II ($6,200) are working towards returns.
The Mavericks will only have a chance of making the playoffs if Davis is healthy, so Dallas fans breathed a sigh of relief when he was upgraded to questionable for tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. If he plays, he’ll almost certainly be on a minutes restriction, but any Davis is better than no Davis. He’ll probably be effective in his limited minutes; Brooklyn has struggled against opposing bigs, allowing the league’s 11th-most rebounds since the All-Star break. He’s averaging a monstrous 1.56 fantasy points per minute this season between his stints in Texas and Los Angeles.
If Davis plays, expect the Mavericks to start him alongside Washington, Naji Marshall ($7,900), Spencer Dinwiddie ($6,500), and Klay Thompson ($6,400). Otherwise, Dallas will likely opt for Kai Jones ($5,200), as it did in Friday’s 123-117 win over the Detroit Pistons.
