Dallas Mavericks lose starter for remainder of season in crushing injury

It's hard to put into words just how hard Dallas has been hit with injuries.

Feb 8, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd talks with an official during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks entered the season with aspirations to make another run to the NBA Finals. Those hopes remained alive even after the franchise traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers at the beginning of February with the thought that Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and a cast of supporting players would be enough.

Instead, any dream of postseason success has dried up over the past six weeks as the Mavericks have suffered a continuous series of injuries. Davis has been out since his debut in Dallas while Irving tore his ACL last week, knocking him out for the remainder of the campaign.

READ MORE: Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving headline 12 players on Mavericks-Rockets injury report

Feb 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum (0) drives past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images

The landslide of bad luck continued on Friday night with the Mavericks in Houston to take on the Rockets. Starting guard Dante Exum was forced to exit the game in the second quarter after suffering an apparent hand injury.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Exum broke a bone in his left hand and will be out indefinitely. The ailment will likely keep Exum sidelined for the remainder of the regular season as the Mavericks only have 14 games remaining. As of now, Dallas is holding on to a 2.5-game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference Finals which would qualify the franchise for a berth in the play-in game.

Yet another injury hit for Dallas: Mavericks guard Dante Exum has suffered a broken bone in his left hand, sources tell ESPN. Exum is now out indefinitely. pic.twitter.com/7D2S0NNjUM

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 15, 2025

This is just a really unbelievable stretch of injuries for the Mavericks. Call it the curse of the Doncic trade, karma for Nico Harrison and Patrick Dumont, or just plain bad luck but it's getting harder and harder to put this travesty into words.

The Mavericks have already officially ruled out Irving and Olivier-Maxence Prosper for the remainder of the season. It seems as if Davis won't return again this year either.

Exum missed the beginning of the regular season due to a right wrist injury that required him to undergo surgery. It's not clear if this recent injury to his opposite hand will force him to go under the knife once again.

The 29-year-old was already questionable entering the matchup against Houston due to right hamstring tightness. Prior to departing from the game, Exum saw seven minutes of action, putting up two points on 1/3 shooting.

In 17 appearances this season, Exum has averaged a career-high 9.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.7 steals in 19.8 minutes per game. He started in five of his last six games.

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READ MORE: Analyst ponders what Mavs should do in Kyrie Irving's free agency

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