The Dallas Mavericks were down to only eight healthy players in their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, and could be facing an even more dire situation for their next game.
The Mavericks have been hit hard by injuries, including a foot contusion that knocked veteran guard Dante Exum out of Wednesday's game. The team had a total of eight players ruled out for their 137-107 loss to the Bucks, including stars Kyrie Irving (torn ACL) and Anthony Davis (left adductor sprain). Recently signed center Kai Jones was ruled out just before tipoff on Wednesday with a quad strain.
As NBA reporter Grant Asfeth noted on X, the Mavericks are down to just seven healthy players for their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday -- Klay Thompson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dwight Powell, Max Christie, Kessler Edwards, Naji Marshall, and Brandon Williams. Caleb Martin and Exum were both listed as questionable.
The lengthy injury report puts the Mavericks in a historically rare situation. NBA teams must have a minimum of eight healthy players or a game cannot be played, putting them at risk of a potential forfeit. The Mavericks will likely need to make either Martin or Exum available, even if they are not healthy enough to take the court.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd admitted it was a difficult situation, but the team would need to find a way to overcome.
"I mean, this is new territory for everyone," Kidd said. "A lot of people haven't seen this. But again, it is next man up and we are running out of next (men)."
The Mavericks head into Friday's game on a skid, losing five of their last six games to drop to 32-31.
Related: Dallas Mavericks Reveal New Anthony Davis Injury Update
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This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 9:34 PM.