The Mavericks provided updates on a trio of injured big men on Friday, announcing in a press release that Anthony Davis has been making daily improvements and has been cleared for “more dynamic on-court movements.”
The star forward/center has missed the past 10 games with a left adductor strain, with a recent report suggesting that Davis might miss the rest of the season with the injury.
According to the Mavericks, Davis will be evaluated on a weekly basis going forward. That means he’s out at least four more games, and it certainly doesn’t sound like his return is imminent.
Second-year center Dereck Lively, who is recovering from a right ankle stress fracture, has progressed to individual on-court work. He will also be evaluated weekly. The 21-year-old has been out since January 14, having missed the past 23 games.
Finally, the Mavs issued a vague update on center Daniel Gafford. According to the team, while Gafford is “showing progress,” he’ll be sidelined for at least two more weeks, which is when he’ll be reexamined.
Gafford, who is expected to explore an extension with Dallas in the offseason, has been sidelined since February 10 due to a right knee sprain. It was reported that he suffered a Grade 3 MCL sprain.
It has been a rough go of late for the Mavericks, who recently lost star guard Kyrie Irving to a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee. Dallas has lost five of its past six games and only had eight players active for Wednesday’s contest in Milwaukee due to the spate of injuries.