Mavericks' concerning Anthony Davis injury mystery now has clarity

Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis is back on the injury report with a left calf contusion, and it looks like the cause of this injury was friendly fire.

With just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Friday night's game against the Brooklyn Nets, Max Christie's right leg collided with Davis' left calf while defending Michael Porter Jr. Davis stepped up to double-team Porter Jr. with Christie, and was clearly in pain when the two collided.

He ended up recovering after a brief hobble and heavily contesting Porter Jr.'s shot at the rim on that play and finishing the game, and most Mavs fans didn't bat an eye. This moment flew under the radar since Dallas won in close fashion, and no one asked Davis or Jason Kidd about it after the game during media availability.

But now it's at the forefront of fan conversations ahead of Monday night's game against the Utah Jazz. Fans were shocked to see Davis on the injury report on Sunday night, and after some digging, the play involving Porter Jr. and Christie looks like the most likely cause.

How Anthony Davis injured his left calf again

Davis is listed as questionable for this game, and fans are a bit worried since this is the same calf that he strained back at the end of October. This injury caused him to miss 14 games in a row, and his availability moving forward will be a massive X-factor for the team's performance.

With Davis being questionable against Utah, combined with the fact that he finished the game against Brooklyn, this injury doesn't seem to be too serious. He would've subbed himself out of Friday's game if the pain was unbearable, and getting bumped in the calf is much different from straining it. He also attended shootaround ahead of Monday night's game.

With that being said, though, there's a chance that the Mavericks hold him out against the Jazz, and potentially longer. Calf injuries are nothing to play with, especially since Davis' left calf was giving him problems earlier this season, and Dallas has to think about the bigger picture.

The Mavericks are focused on competing as hard as they can right now rather than trying to maximize their lottery odds, and they could end up keeping Davis beyond the trade deadline as well. He has been in some trade rumors over the last month, but Dallas isn't in a rush to move on.

They're going to still listen to trade offers for him, and could move on if the price is right, but they're not going to go out of their way to sell low on their star big man. The Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to bring Davis in, and if they are going to get rid of him, they have to make sure that it's for proper value at the very least.

Dallas could wait until the offseason to trade Davis, and that's why his health for the remainder of the regular season is so important. He needs to show that he can remain healthy for extended periods of time for his own future trade value, as well as to help the Mavericks climb in the standings.

Dallas is currently the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference with a 10-16 record, and they are just 2.5 games back from the eighth seed. The Mavericks are poised to at least snag a spot in the Play-In Tournament, if they continue to play well, and Davis will play a major part in that effort.