Dallas Mavericks star big man Anthony Davis exited and was ruled out of Wednesday’s win against the Indiana Pacers with left lower leg soreness, the team announced.
Davis came into the game dealing with an Achilles injury.
After the game, head coach Jason Kidd said Davis hoped to return, but the team didn’t want to risk it. Kidd added that Davis will undergo further evaluations.
“Tried to return. Didn’t want to take any chances,” Kidd told reporters. “We’ll see how he is going forward.”
Davis announced before the start of training camp that he will be required to wear protective goggles for the rest of his career after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a detached retina. He suffered the injury after an inadvertent elbow to the face from teammate Daniel Gafford during a game in April.
The oft-injured Davis was limited to nine games with the Mavs in 2024-25 after being acquired in February as part of the shocking trade that sent star guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Davis suffered an adductor strain in his debut with Dallas and sat out for 18 games.
In his brief time on the floor with the Mavs last season, Davis averaged 20.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.2 blocks. He came close to helping the team earn a playoff spot, but Dallas fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in the final play-in tournament game.
The Mavs will also be without star point guard Kyrie Irving for an indefinite period as he continues his recovery from a torn ACL. Dallas selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft and signed veteran point guard D’Angelo Russell while returning a core that includes shooting guard Klay Thompson, swingman P.J. Washington and centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.
If Davis is forced to miss time, the Mavs should be able to handle his absence with Flagg leading the way until he’s able to return.
