Mavericks starter goes down minutes before tip against Clippers in strange fashion

The Mavericks just cannot catch a break with injuries, as P.J. Washington went down with an injury

Nov 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd looks on during the second quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are on the second night of a back-to-back against the LA Clippers on Saturday night after falling to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. They were already missing a lot of key players due to injury management heading into this game, with Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and Dante Exum all being out.

The injury bug then bit further as P.J. Washington, who was announced as part of the starting lineup, was going through the final shootaround just seconds before tip and came down on a loose basketball, where he twisted his right ankle. Here's a video of what happened, via MavsTV.

Washington was initially considered questionable to play in the game, but he was ruled out a few minutes into the first quarter. They said he tried to receive treatment and give it a go, but it wasn't worth it with so many players missing the game already. He dealt with a right ankle injury near the start of last year that lingered because the training staff cleared him too soon, so it's starting to become a trend.

Naji Marshall ended up starting in his place and had 5 points and 6 rebounds in the first half. It was the Cooper Flagg show early, who was finally hunting his shot after games of us begging the Mavericks to give him more opportunity. He had 21 points at halftime.

Nov 24, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) takes a shot over Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

READ MORE: Mavericks say quiet part out loud about D'Angelo Russell against Lakers

Injuries Continue to Curse the Mavericks

Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford probably won't play any back-to-backs moving forward as they manage their injuries. The Mavericks want to increase Anthony Davis' trade value, and they can't do that if he has another extended absence due to injury. He looked in much better shape on Friday against the Lakers, but it was clear after the game that he's probably ready to get out of Dallas.

Irving is still probably at least a month away from returning to action as he works his way back from ACL surgery in March. But if the team is going to continue to be this bad, he may be better off sitting the whole season, letting the Mavs get another good draft pick, and try to run it back with a better team in 2026-27.

Dereck Lively II is dealing with swelling in his foot, which will have him re-evaluated here in a few days. And Dante Exum is set to miss the whole year due to a complication from a knee procedure this offseason. It's like the basketball gods are cursing this team for trading away a generational player for nothing.

READ MORE: Luka Doncic thinks Lakers vs. Mavericks will 'always be special'

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