Mavericks could be without entire frontcourt in rematch against Wizards

The Dallas Mavericks have revenge on their minds against the Washington Wizards on Saturday night (someone save us). It's the second night of a back-to-back as they're on the road against after losing in Memphis against the lifeless Grizzlies on Friday night. And because it's a back-to-back, the Mavs could be down some important pieces.

Anthony Davis has missed the last four games with a left low-grade calf strain, which seems to stem from bilateral Achilles tendinopathy, which is what he popped up on the injury report with ahead of getting hurt against the Indiana Pacers 10 days ago. People are worried that they may be rushing Davis back too soon, which has been a theme with him since he was traded to Dallas.

Davis wanted to prove he could still carry a franchise after he was traded for Luka Doncic, but he got hurt in his debut because he returned too soon from an abdominal injury, as he strained his adductor. He then returned too soon from that as the Mavs tried to make a postseason push, and he was hobbling in the Play-In Tournament.

Since then, Davis showed up in training camp overweight because he had a procedure over the summer to repair a detached retina, and that likely led to his bilateral Achilles injury and ensuing calf strain. He's been upgraded to questionable for Saturday's matchup against the Washington Wizards, which could still be returning too soon.

Oct 29, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) exchanges words with Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd as Davis walks off the court during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Full Mavericks-Wizards Injury Report

The biggest reason that the Mavericks may decide to play Anthony Davis on Saturday evening is because of the rest of the frontcourt. Dereck Lively II is dealing with a right knee sprain and hasn't played since the third game against the Toronto Raptors. He's been upgraded to doubtful for this matchup, but it seems more likely that he'd return later in the week.

Daniel Gafford also seems to have re-aggravated his ankle sprain. He busted through his minutes restriction in Monday's loss to the Houston Rockets, but in Friday's loss to the Grizzlies, he only played about 12 minutes before he was ruled out for the rest of the game. He popped up as "questionable" on Saturday's injury report due to that right ankle sprain, but it feels unlikely that he would go just 22 hours after he was ruled out of another game.

Dallas is also still missing Kyrie Irving (left ACL surgery recovery) and Dante Exum (right knee injury management).

The Washington Wizards will be without Khris Middleton (right knee injury management) and Bilal Coulibaly (left calf contusion), while second-year forward Kyshawn George is questionable with an illness. George missed Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but had a phenomenal game against the Dallas Mavericks earlier in the year, scoring a career-high 34 points.

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