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NBA player returns to game with eyepatch due to team being so shorthanded

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One NBA player had quite the experience over the weekend, but it was not a pleasant one, to be sure.

During Sunday’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns, the Mavericks opened the game with just 9 healthy players to start with as injuries piled up. Things got even worse with a bit of friendly fire in the contest.

While going for one rebound, Dallas teammates Dwight Powell and Kessler Edwards collided — head-to-head — in a painful incident. Both players had to be pulled from the game to be tended to and evaluated, dropping Dallas down to 7 healthy players for a moment.

Briefly, after the incident, cameras caught a clearly frustrated Nico Harrison, GM of the Mavs, turning to leave the court via a tunnel in the arena. It’s unclear where he went after that, but it has been a tough stretch to stomach as Dallas’s injury list grows.

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Under normal circumstances, Edwards and Powell may have been sent to the locker room a bit early, but that was not an option this time around. In fact, Edwards returned to the contest with a patch on his eye after receiving stitches, and head coach Jason Kidd praised his effort after the game.

“I’m just happy to see Kessler Edwards back out there after he had to get stitches.”

Jason Kidd shared that Dwight Powell might have gotten stitches as well after the collision with Edwards.

— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) March 9, 2025

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.