Mavericks' latest nonverbal injury update teases ideal twist before playoffs

Noah Weber

Dallas Mavericks, Dereck Lively II / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

After going through a brutal stretch over the last month that included losing nine of 10 games at one point, the Dallas Mavericks are back on track, and things are starting to look promising with two weeks remaining in the season.

Dallas is currently 36-38 on the season, and they hold the tenth seed in the Western Conference with eight games remaining. They are only half a game behind the Sacramento Kings for the ninth seed, and they hold a full game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the tenth seed. The Mavericks being in prime position to make the Play-In Tournament is not something fans expected after Kyrie Irving went down with an ACL tear, but Jason Kidd has consistently rallied his guys to be ready to play even when the odds are heavily stacked against them.

Anthony Davis returning to the lineup has also helped, as they are now 3-0 in games he's played in this season, and he should be ecstatic following Dallas' latest injury update. Kidd has eased Davis back into the lineup over the last few days, and the latest update for some of Dallas' injured key players should allow Davis' ramp-up to go even more smoothly.

Mavericks' reinforcements are coming at perfect time

Both Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are listed as doubtful for the Mavs' game against the Chicago Bulls tonight, and this is a great sign that they'll be returning soon. Dallas typically upgrades a player to doubtful when they are trending in the right direction to return from an injury, even though they both likely won't play tonight, and we will probably see them return sometime soon.

Gafford and Lively II returning before the postseason begin would be a dream come true for fans, as their monster frontcourt would finally be whole again. Having Gafford and Lively II ready for the Play-In Tournament and the playoffs (if they escape the play-in) truly changes everything for them, as they'll have a much better shot at winning some games.

Davis will also get to move back to playing power forward when Lively II and Gafford return, which is something he prefers. He was going to be forced to play a bunch of minutes at center after Kai Jones went down on Thursday night, but with Jones listed as questionable for tonight's game and Lively II and Gafford listed as doubtful, it sounds like he'll be back to playing power forward in no time.

Davis has experience of going on deep playoff runs as teams' power forward, as he was running the four for the Los Angeles Lakers when they won the NBA Finals in 2020. Mavericks fans will be praying for more of the same when Lively II and Gafford return,, and them making a return this season shows that the team will push hard for a playoff spot.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.