Anthony Davis exits Mavericks-Pacers with apparent lower leg injury

The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Indiana Pacers for the final of five games at home to start the season, hoping to avoid a 1-4 start and give the Pacers their first win of the season. Indiana had eight players out for this game, including key players such as Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, and Bennedict Mathurin.

Dallas entered without their dynamic center duo of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, which pushed Anthony Davis to center. And then, near the end of the first quarter, Anthony Davis left the game with a lower leg injury, going back to the locker room to get some treatment.

It doesn't appear that anything notable happened, as he came down and went to run, and then came up a little gimpy. He went to the scorer's table, where he started rubbing his left Achilles. He entered the game on the injury report with "bilateral Achilles tendinopathy," which can be caused by overuse, but it's soreness or stiffness in both Achilles tendons.

Mavericks center Anthony Davis is headed to the locker.

He entered the game with a Bilateral Achilles Tendinopathy injury.

Davis looked to step hard on the ground and started limping instantly to the bench. pic.twitter.com/lQoW4hgtcA
— Ron Harrod Jr. (@RonKnowsSports) October 30, 2025

There has been an increase in Achilles injuries over the last few years in the NBA, with Haliburton missing this game (and likely this season) due to tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. But when a player who has already dealt with a lot of injuries in his career deals with an injury mostly caused by overuse, that's not a great sign.

The Dallas Mavericks first announced that he would be questionable to return to the game because of that lower leg injury. They later ruled him out.

Anthony Davis (left lower leg soreness) will not return to tonight's game against the Indiana Pacers.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) October 30, 2025

Why Relying on Anthony Davis Can Be a Mistake

Anthony Davis has rarely been an available player in his career. He's played more than 65 games just once in the last seven seasons. There's a reason why he's earned nicknames such as "Day-To-Davis." He can rarely stay healthy, and he's on the wrong side of 30 already.

Of all the reasons to be upset about the Luka Doncic trade, and there were many of them, one of them was Nico Harrison's gamble on someone who has never been able to stay healthy. Doncic dealt with some injuries, too, but Davis' lack of availability is no secret. And you got just one first-round pick in return.

Davis got hurt in his first game as a Dallas Maverick and only ended up playing nine games last season because of injuries. And then he had a procedure this offseason to repair a detached retina. The theme of his career has continued in his brief time in Dallas.

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