Dallas Mavericks: Dwight Powell returns to practice; questionable vs. Denver
By Tyler Watts
Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell returned to full practice for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury on Oct. 5. Find out the latest here.
The Dallas Mavericks have won two of their first three games without projected starting center Dwight Powell. The outstanding play of their star duo is the main reason. They look like a threat in the deep in the Western Conference this year.
Powell suffered a hamstring injury in practice on Oct. 5. He missed the entire preseason and the first three regular season contests. Powell made significant progress in his return on Monday, though.
Back to practice
Coach Rick Carlisle kicked off his post-practice media availability with an update on the 6’10 big man. He mentioned he went through the full practice. Fans can hear Carlisle’s entire presser below.
That was Powell’s first full practice since suffering the injury. It is a massive step in the right direction. The news gets better too.
Questionable vs. Denver
The Mavericks face the Nuggets in Denver on Tuesday evening. They need all hands of deck defending Nikola Jokic in one of the toughest places to play in the NBA.
Powell was upgraded to questionable in the team’s game notes. That is the first time this season that he has not been ruled out when the notes were released.
Back this week
If Powell misses Tuesday’s game, expect him to play at some point this week. The Mavs have a few days off before hosting the Lakers on Friday. That should be enough time for Powell to get his legs under him barring a setback.
It will be interesting to see how Coach Carlisle uses Powell early on. He was projected as the starting center next to Kristaps Porzingis. Will they have him fill that role immediately? That remains to be seen. The team will certainly limit his minutes early on as he ramps back up.
Powell will help the Dallas Mavericks on both ends of the floor. Hopefully, he plays on Tuesday night and starts getting his conditioning back.
The Smoking Cuban will provide updates on his injury plus unmatched analysis on the Mavs all season, so keep it locked right here.