Mavericks Grapple with 8-Player Injury Report Ahead of Timberwolves Matchup

As the Dallas Mavericks prepare for Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team may have to play without many key players. Dallas has gone 4-10 since Christmas Day, marking the beginning of Luka Dončić’s calf strain injury absence in a stretch plagued by injuries across the roster.

In the lengthiest injury report of the season, the Mavericks remain without Danté Exum (right wrist surgery), Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain), and Dwight Powell (right hip strain) in addition to Dončić. Hardy and Powell suffered injuries against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

Four players are listed as questionable, including Dereck Lively II (right ankle sprain), Njai Marshall (illness), Klay Thompson (left ankle sprain), and Quentin Grimes (back spasms). Lively remained sidelined since suffering his injury four minutes into his Jan. 12 performance against the Denver Nuggets. Grimes was a late scratch in Charlotte without being listed on the injury report leading into pre-game media.

Kyrie Irving is coming off a 33-point effort in the Mavericks’ loss against the Charlotte Hornets and will have his work cut out for him as the team’s top-scoring option against a tough Timberwolves defense. Despite managing a bulging disc injury, he will not be listed on the injury report for the second straight game. He’s remained positive throughout the team’s consistent injuries.

“It would be nice at this point in the season to have everybody healthy and to not miss as many games as I’ve missed,” Irving admitted. “I’ve missed 10 games, which wasn’t my goal coming into the season. But with the MRI on my back and D. Live going down, Luka going down, J. Hardy going down, it’s been tough. It hurts emotionally seeing some of our guys down, but nobody’s going to feel bad for us. Everyone’s going to want to beat us, which is rightfully so.”

While continuing to deal with mounting injuries, Irving believes the recent stretch does not reflect the team’s true nature and that its big-picture goals are still attainable. For now, the Mavericks must do their best to stay afloat.

“We have to respond and keep a ‘next man up’ mentality,” Irving emphasized. “We’re giving a lot of young guys opportunities to grow and learn. It’s part of the league. The last 12 games haven’t been the best reflection of us, but we’re still working towards the same goals. We just need to do our best with who we have in the lineup now and continue to feed each other confidence.”

Depending on Lively’s potential status come game time, Gafford could remain a significant contributor. While Lively has been sidelined with this current injury, Gafford has set a new career high in scoring twice, including his 31-point, 15-point, and 7-block display against the Hornets. Maxi Kleber has also been leaned on to play minutes as a small ball center, which could continue to be necessary.

The Mavericks did play Olivier-Maxence Prosper and two-way contract forward Kessler Edwards in Charlotte. If either Grimes or Thompson cannot play against Minnesota, both players remain candidates for playing time on the wing.

With Exum and Hardy still sidelined, Spencer Dinwiddie remains a fixture in the backcourt. While he’s averaged 13.1 points and 4.4 assists since being relied on more heavily amid Dončić calf injury, Dinwiddie is shooting just 38.2% from the floor and 29.4% from the perimeter. Dallas needs him to heighten his efficiency.

Lively remains questionable, but he traveled with the Mavericks to Charlotte and went through weight room and cardio workouts at the Spectrum Center. Exum went through a full on-court workout, the first time he’s done during the pre-game cycle.

Although Exum’s accuracy was understandably low as he continues to regain his touch and muscle memory after months of being unable to use his wrist, it’s a positive development he went through such a workout on the road.

The Mavericks will face the Thunder on Wednesday to complete a back-to-back. As injuries remain a challenge, the coming days will be challenging.