For some odd and unfortunate reasons, the injuries just keep on coming for the Dallas Mavericks.
One game after losing forwards Anthony Davis and P. J. Washington to injuries during Saturday’s game against the Houston Rockets, the Mavs lost center Daniel Gafford to an injury during Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. In other words, the basketball gods haven’t been too kind to the Mavs this season as they reached the two-thirds point of the season with the 129-128 loss in overtime to the Kings.
Gafford left the game for good with 10:46 remaining in the second quarter with a right knee sprain when he collided with Kings guard Malik Monk. The
departure by Gafford left the Mavs with just one active center on their roster – rookie Kylor Kelley, who they signed to a two-way contract on Jan. 26.
Needless to say, the Kings were like a pack of wild wolves on the boards after Gafford’s injury as they outrebounded the Mavs, 50-33, including 13-5 on the offensive boards. And that led to Sacramento outscoring the Mavs in second-chance points, 18-5.
The Mavs were already without Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Dwight Powell (right hip strain), Caleb Martin (right hip strain), Davis (left adductor strain) and Washington (right ankle sprain) before Gafford went down. The multiple injuries have put unimaginable stress on a Mavs’ team that’s built to win this year’s NBA title.
“It’s fairly difficult, but at the same time that’s what we signed up for when we were kids,” guard Kyrie Irving said. “That next man up mentality comes into play, and it’s not something we want to relate to each other, but it’s just the reality.
“We just got to accept it and move forward.”
The Mavs were moving forward and had a 103-91 lead over Sacramento with 8:23 remaining in the fourth quarter. But Kings
forward DeMar DeRozan tallied 15 of his team’s 29 points in the fourth quarter – including scoring a bucket with 3.5 seconds left to send the game into overtime tied at 116. And Monk poured in eight of the 13 points Sacramento scored in the overtime period.
Klay Thompson nailed a three-pointer to give the Mavs a 128-127 lead with just 9.8 seconds left. However, DeRozan slipped through the double-team of Spencer Dinwiddie and Max Christie on the left side and nailed the game-winning basket with just 1.9 seconds to go.
In the meantime, the Mavs have no choice but to re-group and move forward minus a lot of their key personnel.
“When (Gafford is) healthy enough to be out there and play — just like the other guys that are on the IR right now — we’ll welcome them back with open arms,” Irving said. “But we just got to be ready to play small ball and be feisty out there and consistently hold each other accountable.
“We’re going to need that even more-so.”
Here are the takeaways from the one-point loss to the Kings.
IRVING THE ALL-STAR: Named to his ninth All-Star game earlier Monday, Kyrie Irving was in slicing and dicing mode all night as he did his best keeping the 
Mavs in the game. Irving wound up with team highs in points (30), rebounds (nine), assists (seven) and steals (three) while playing a season-high 44 minutes. Irving was 11-of-25 from the field and 2-of-7 from three-point range. He also scored what would have been the game-winning basket that put the Mavs ahead, 116-114, with 15.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. But DeMar DeRozan forced overtime when he scored with 3.5 seconds left.
CHRISTIE AGED WELL: New Mavs guard Max Christie continues to keep playing solid ball after coming over from Los Angeles with Anthony Davis in the Feb. 2 trade with the Lakers. While turning 22 years old on Monday, Christie finished the game against the Kings with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. He also wowed the crowd when he raced the length of the floor and blocked Malik Monk’s layup attempt at the rim early in the fourth quarter. Christie, who was 5-of-10 from the field, has scored at least 15 points in all four games with the Mavs.
DEROZAN COULDN’T BE CONTAINED: Kings forward DeMar DeRozan was a big-time problem for the Mavs all night long. Not only did DeRozan score 21 points in the first half. In the second half and overtime period, he also scored another 21 points to finish the night with a season-high 42 points. In addition, it was a basket by DeRozan with 3.5 seconds remaining in regulation that tied the game at 116 and sent it into overtime. And it was a basket by DeRozan with 1.9 seconds left in overtime that won the game for the Kings.
X: @DwainPrice
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