Anthony Davis Sidelined Again After Suffering Left Leg Soreness Against Pacers
Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis was forced to leave the court early during Wednesday night’s clash with the Indiana Pacers after suffering soreness in his lower left leg.
The setback occurred in the first quarter and, despite early hopes of a return, the forward was later ruled out for the remainder of the game.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that Davis grimaced in pain upon landing awkwardly after scoring.
The Mavericks immediately called a timeout with just over four minutes left in the quarter, and the 31-year-old was escorted to the locker room for medical evaluation.
Head coach Jason Kidd confirmed post-game, “He tried to return. Didn’t wanna take any chances. We’ll see how he feels going forward.”
The timing couldn’t be worse for Dallas. Davis, who had logged more than 32 minutes in each of the Mavs’ first four games, was already managing bilateral Achilles tendinopathy, an issue that had him listed as “probable” on the injury report earlier in the day.
For a player often hailed as one of the NBA’s most dominant big men, health has long been his greatest opponent.
Davis featured in 76 games last season, his most since 2019, but that durability has been a rare occurrence in recent years. Since 2020, he’s only crossed the 60-game mark once.
The 2024–25 campaign was expected to be a fresh start following his mid-season move from the Los Angeles Lakers, a blockbuster deal that sent Luka Dončić the other way.
However, his time in Dallas has been marred by fitness woes. Last year, Davis appeared in only nine games, sidelined by an adductor strain sustained during his debut.
Despite these setbacks, Davis entered this season reportedly in good shape. He even resumed play after undergoing surgery in July to repair a detached retina, a procedure that now requires him to wear protective goggles permanently.
His latest knock leaves the Mavericks stretched thin in the frontcourt. Centers Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford were already unavailable, Lively nursing a right knee sprain and Gafford yet to feature this season due to an ankle injury.
For the Mavericks, this is an early test of resilience. For Anthony Davis, it’s another reminder of the fragility that shadows his extraordinary talent.
Whether this proves to be a brief scare or another lengthy absence remains uncertain, but one thing is clear, Dallas cannot afford to lose their defensive anchor so soon into the season.
