Anthony Davis given surprise injury note ahead of Mavericks-Kings

Is there a world where Anthony Davis actually plays on Saturday afternoon?

Dec 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are back on the road on Saturday evening as they'll play the Sacramento Kings at the odd start time of 4 p.m. CST in a battle of Western Conference cellar dwellers. The Mavericks could use a win, and the Kings could use... new ownership? New everything?

Both teams are dealing with injuries to their star big men. Anthony Davis went down on Thursday in the Christmas game against the Golden State Warriors with what was described as "right groin spasms." It happened in the second quarter after he forced a turnover and took off in transition. All of a sudden, he veered off to the bench, went to the locker room soon after, and would be ruled out after halftime.

It came out on Friday from ESPN's Shams Charania that Davis is expected to miss a few games with a "minor groin strain." However, the Mavericks' injury report came out on Friday evening, where they listed him as questionable with "right adductor soreness."

The adductor is what kept him out for the majority of last season after the trade, but he's also had 13 groin injuries in his career, per Jeff Stotts. They may be trying to keep the real diagnosis away, but it's a concerning injury no matter what.

Davis being listed as questionable seems extremely optimistic. They know they need him as healthy as possible if any trade is out there, and that seems dubious.

Dec 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) reacts after suffering an injury during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

READ MORE: Mavericks stay on West Coast to play lowly Sacramento Kings

Full Dallas Mavericks-Sacramento Kings Injury Report

Outside of Davis, Brandon Williams (left calf contusion) is doubtful to play. Williams was arguably the second-best player the Mavericks had on Thursday, as he finished with 26 points and displayed his exciting speed and quickness. He played just a few seconds shy of 30 minutes, so this injury popped up as a little bit of a surprise.

Kyrie Irving (left ACL surgery recovery), Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery), and Dante Exum (right knee surgery) remain out. Lively and Exum are out for the season, while there should hopefully be an update on Irving in the near future.

For the Kings, they'll be without Domantas Sabonis (left partial meniscus tear), Zach LaVine (left ankle sprain), Keegan Murray (right calf strain), and Drew Eubanks (left thumb fracture). Devin Carter (left ankle sprain) is questionable to play. Sabonis has only played 11 games this year and is part of the reason that the Kings are so bad, but they're also the Sacramento Kings.

READ MORE: Steve Kerr makes Klay Thompson admission after Warriors beat Mavericks on Christmas

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