The Dallas Mavericks face a mixed bag regarding injury notes ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. Daniel Gafford is questionable with a right shoulder sprain, Brandon Williams has been upgraded to questionable after missing three games in the concussion protocol, and Caleb Martin will sit out a fifth consecutive contest with a right plantar fascia strain.
Gafford was initially listed with a right shoulder contusion after exiting Monday’s 137-131 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors, but the team upgraded the diagnosis to a sprain on the injury report. The big man was in good spirits in the locker room after the game and did not visit the X-ray room before leaving the arena.
Gafford was brilliant before the injury ended his night, finishing with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal, and a block on 8-of-8 shooting in 32 minutes. It was his sixth career game with at least 20 points on perfect shooting from the field — the most such games in the league since he entered the NBA in 2019-20, one ahead of Rudy Gobert.
It also made him just the second player this season to post a 20-5-5 game while shooting perfectly from the field, joining Nikola Jokić, and the first player since Robert Williams in 2020-21 to reach those numbers. It was his fourth 20-point game in his last 10 outings, a stretch in which he is averaging 15.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. For the season, he is averaging 9.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 51 games.
If Gafford cannot go against the Nuggets, Marvin Bagley III and Dwight Powell are likely candidates for expanded roles. Bagley finished with 9 points and 3 assists on 3-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes on Monday.
Williams is averaging 12.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 60 games this season. If he remains sidelined, Ryan Nembhard and Klay Thompson will likely see a bump in minutes. Nembhard played 17 minutes on Monday and finished with 4 points, 1 rebound, and 5 assists.
Martin’s next opportunity to play will come on Friday in Portland against the Portland Trail Blazers. Martin and Williams were both on the court during the Mavericks’ shootaround at the practice facility before Monday’s loss. Martin is averaging 3.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 58 games this season.
With Martin out, Thompson, Khris Middleton, and P.J. Washington could play increased minutes. Thompson finished with 15 points and 1 rebound on 5-of-9 3-point shooting in 28 minutes on Monday. Washington added 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals in 34 minutes. If Dallas elects to deploy a small-ball lineup, Washington could slide into the center spot, as he has at times recently.
Also listed as questionable are two-way players Moussa Cissé, John Poulakidas, and Tyler Smith, all with G League designations. Poulakidas scored nine points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting in 12 minutes on Monday night.
Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery) and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) remain out for the season.
Dallas enters Wednesday’s matchup with a 23-49 record and is officially eliminated from postseason contention. It marks the second consecutive season the Mavericks have failed to reach the playoffs despite reaching the NBA Finals in 2024.
Tip-off against the Nuggets is at 9 p.m. CT.
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