Injured Mavs giving plenty of support to their teammates

HOUSTON – As the few Dallas Mavericks players who are able to play make their way onto the court on a nightly basis, they can always look to the bench and see a lot of support coming from their teammates.

And that especially includes the teammates who are unable to play due to various injuries.

Although he has been sidelined since Feb. 8 while he recovers from a strained left adductor, forward Anthony Davis has constantly been on the bench offering support to the Mavs, including on this three-game road trip through San Antonio and Houston.

Centers Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture) and Daniel Gafford (right MCL sprain), and forwards PJ Washington (right ankle sprain), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (right wrist surgery) and Kai Jones (quadriceps) have also been regulars on the bench giving their teammates some tips on how to combat what the opposing team is trying to accomplish. So, too, has guard Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain) given his show of support.

Even guard Kyrie Irving, who is on crutches after undergoing season-ending surgery on his torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, attended home games last week and was telling his teammates some things that he saw that could turn the tide in their favor.

It all adds up to the Mavs being a team that’s extremely tied together on a string, and one that looks out for one another.

“I think it’s huge that AD has been on this trip,” coach Jason Kidd said. “AD is doing his rehab. He continues to trend in the right direction.

“But I think his voice and his presence on the bench with his new teammates, just that connection makes it a lot easier when he is back in uniform.”

The Mavs acquired Davis on Feb. 2 in that blockbuster deal which shipped Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. Davis only played in the Feb. 8 game against Houston when he scored 26 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, distributed seven assists and blocked three shots before exiting the game for good while favoring an injury in his groin area.

But Davis has stayed engaged with his new teammates, hence his appearances at home and road games.

“He’s a guy that’s trying to help these younger players – or his teammates that are playing,” Kidd said “(It’s) an extra set of eyes to see what he can help with. He’s doing that at a high level.

“But as much as we would like him on the bench, we also want him to get in uninform here. But I think AD, as one of our leaders, is helping when he’s on the bench helping his teammates.”

Here are the three takeaways from the 37-point loss to the Rockets.

WILLIAMS WAS ON FIRE: Mavs guard Brandon Williams continues to show why he’ll probably make a lot of money this summer when free agency begins. One of the Mavs’ two-way players, Williams had another solid floor game Friday when he tallied a team-high 25 points in just 26 minutes off the bench. Williams was a very efficient 11-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-4 from downtown.

REBOUNDS MADE THE DIFFERENCE: The Rockets took advantage of the much shorter Mavs and outrebounded them, 67-34. That includes outrebounding the Mavs on the offensive boards, 17-6. All of that led to Houston outscoring Dallas in second-chance points, 29-2. The Rockets also outscored the Mavs in fast break points, 28-8.

MIDDLE QUARTERS WERE VERY PAINFUL: The Mavs were very much in Friday’s game after the first quarter was in the books. At that juncture, the Mavs were only behind, 27-25. However, the  Rockets soared to new heights from there as they outscored the Mavs by wide margins in both the second quarter (35-24) and third quarter (37-21) and went on to zoom ahead, 99-70, going into the fourth quarter.

X: @DwainPrice