INDIANAPOLIS – Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis and guard Jaden Hardy were assigned to the G League on Monday so they could
get some work in with the Texas Legends.
Then, the Mavs recalled them later in the day.
Both Davis and Hardy were able to play five-on-five scrimmages with the Legends. That’s often a precursor if a player is close to returning to his NBA team.
It’s similar to when an injured Major League Baseball player is about to return to action, and he goes to the Triple-A or Double-A ballclub first to get some much-needed at-bats before he’s recalled to the majors.
In the case of Davis and Hardy, there is no timetable for when they’ll return. But a trip to Frisco to work with the Legends may or may not mean they’re very close to joining the Mavs, although they will not play in Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.
After the Mavs acquired Davis in a Feb. 2 trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, he was able to play in the Feb. 8 game against the Houston Rockets. And the 10-time All-Star responded with a monster game as he contributed 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks during the Mavs’ 116-105 victory.
Davis, however, strained his left adductor in that game and hasn’t played since, but is anxious to get back on the court. Hardy, meanwhile, has missed the past seven games after spraining his right ankle in the March 3 game against the Sacramento Kings.
The Mavs have played several games lately while dressing just eight or nine players. And with the games coming so rapidly – combined with the plethora of injuries – that has prevented the Mavs from having enough players to have any five-on-five scrimmages during practice.
“Obviously, we have a good group of guys,” forward P.J. Washington said. “We just got to get healthy and just keep going.”
Here are some other nuggets surrounding Wednesday’s game against the Pacers.
*This is the only game on this trip for the Mavs before they return home to host the Detroit Pistons on Friday. After that the Mavs will embark on a four-game trip from Sunday to March 29 to play the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls.
*Wednesday’s game serves as the opener of a five-game home stand for the Pacers. They also will host Brooklyn on Thursday and Saturday, Minnesota
on Monday and the Los Angeles Lakers on March 26.
*The Mavs will be trying to split the season series with the Pacers. On Nov. 4 in Dallas, the Pacers defeated the Mavs, 134-127. Luka Dončić had 34 points, seven rebounds and 15 assists in that game, Kyrie Irving tallied 27 points, and Naji Marshall collected 20 points, five rebounds and six assists. For the Pacers, Myles Turner (30 points, 11 rebounds), Tyrese Haliburton (25 points, 12 assists) and Pascal Siakam (23 points, six rebounds) led the way.
*The Pacers are coming off a dramatic 132-130 road victory in overtime against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. Obi Toppin drained a gut-check leaning heavily-guarded three-pointer in the left corner with just 3.1 seconds left in overtime to account for the game-winning basket. Toppin finished with a team-high 34 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in a game-high 45 minutes. Toppin was 12-of-19 from the field, including an amazing 7-of-10 from three-point range. The Pacers had eight players score 10 or more points in the game against the Timberwolves. And none of them were three of their regular starters – Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam – who sat out the game against Minnesota with injuries or for personal reasons.
*The Mavs will be without Kyrie Irving (left knee ACL surgery), Anthony Davis (strained left adductor), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Daniel Gafford (right MCL sprain), Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain), Kai Jones (quadriceps), Dante Exum (left fractured hand), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (right wrist surgery) and Caleb Martin (left hip strain) for Wednesday’s game. And Brandon Williams (left hamstring tightness) is listed as questionable.
*On the injury front for the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton (back), Pascal Siakam (personal reasons) and Jarace Walker (ankle) are listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game.
DALLAS MAVERICKS (33-36) at INDIANA PACERS (38-29)
When: 6 p.m., Wednesday
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV: KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream
Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
Share and comment