Injury-Plagued Mavericks Fall to Suns, Slide Below .500 Amid Playoff Push
The Dallas Mavericks (32-33) continued to battle adversity on Sunday afternoon, losing 125-116 to the Phoenix Suns (30-34). This was their fifth consecutive loss and the first time they had slipped below .500 since mid-November. The loss at the American Airlines Center was more than just a scoreline; it epitomized the Mavericks’ season-long struggle with injuries and roster depth.
The game, critical for the Mavericks to widen their narrow lead over the Suns for the 10th spot in the Western Conference, took a dire turn late in the third quarter. Dwight Powell and Kessler Edwards, the team’s last standing big men due to a spate of injuries, collided head-on while attempting to secure a rebound. Both players were forced to leave the game and head to the locker room for stitches, although Edwards would return to finish the game with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
“We lost two players on one play going for the rebound. I’m just happy to see Kessler came back,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said.
Moments after the collision, point guard Brandon Williams, who had been performing impressively, experienced left hamstring soreness and was sidelined for the remainder of the game. The injuries left Dallas critically short-handed, playing significant stretches of the fourth quarter with only five players available due to additional time restrictions on Dante Exum.
“Never seen this,” Kidd expressed his disbelief. “Never been in a game that we could not take someone out to rest them because we had no one to put in. They were either in clothes or in the back getting stitches. It is what it is. We got to keep pushing forward.”
Despite these setbacks, Naji Marshall delivered a stellar performance, scoring 34 points and nearly achieving a triple-double with nine rebounds and ten assists. This marked the second consecutive game in which Marshall set a new career high, having scored 29 points against Memphis just days earlier.
“Things are just going well for me right now,” Marshall commented on his recent performance. “Sometimes you make threes, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you’re efficient, and sometimes you’re not. Things are just going well for me right now.”
The Suns took advantage of the Mavericks’ diminished interior presence, outscoring Dallas 68-48 in the paint. Devin Booker led Phoenix with 24 points and Kevin Durant, who added 21 points along with nine rebounds and eight assists. The victory helped the Suns inch closer to the Mavericks in the standings, also securing the season tiebreaker by winning three of their four matchups.
The challenges mount as the Mavericks look ahead to their next games, two back-to-back away matches in San Antonio, followed by a game in Houston.
With eight players ruled out before Sunday’s game and the financial constraints preventing any new signings, Kidd remarked on the roster’s outlook.
“We’ll probably have seven, eight at the most (in San Antonio),” Kidd said. “I think if you have five, you got to play. We’ll try to figure it out as we go.”
Despite the grim circumstances, Marshall remains hopeful.
“It’s hard to win in the NBA. Every game matters,” Marshall said. “We’re just trying to stay afloat and hopefully get some guys back and win some games,” he said, reflecting on the team’s aspirations to rebound from their recent struggles.
As the Mavericks navigate this tumultuous period, their resilience and ability to adapt to adversity will be key factors in their quest to secure a playoff berth.
