Anthony Davis made his highly anticipated return for the Dallas Mavericks on Monday after being sidelined by a lingering adductor injury. The 10-time All-Star, however, sat out on Tuesday on the second night of a back-to-back set.
With the Mavs back in action on Thursday against the Orlando Magic, Davis was originally listed as questionable to play. However, Dallas upgraded his status for the game, and it has now been confirmed that the 6-foot-10 big man will take the floor in Orlando in what will be just his third game for the Mavericks since his mid-season blockbuster trade.
Dallas head coach Jason Kidd revealed an important update on Davis before the game, though. Kidd said that Davis is expected to be limited to 24 to 28 minutes for Thursday's contest, per Underdog NBA on X.
This does not come as a surprise considering how the Mavs will want to ease Davis back into the mix after so many missed games. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, the five-time All-NBA forward/center should be able to get a full load within the next few games as he gets his conditioning back.
The big question, however, is whether Davis' return will be enough for Dallas to book their spot in the Play-In tournament. Entering Thursday's game, the Mavs, who recently lost Kyrie Irving to a season-ending ACL injury, are 11th in the West with a 35-38 record.
The good news, though, is that they are just half a game behind the ninth-seeded Sacramento Kings (35-37), which only means that a Play-In berth is still very much within reach for Davis and Co.
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This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 3:23 PM.