The Dallas Mavericks suffered a tough 116-114 loss to the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. Apart from the loss, however, the Mavericks were affected by more bad news as Anthony Davis left the game with an apparent hand injury.
While Anthony Davis’ injury raises some concerns for the team’s future, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd made sure to acknowledge a critical error made by the superstar during his post-game media availability.
“The smart play is just to take the foul,” Kidd commented while recalling the moment Davis got injured.
“That’s what we should’ve done. He felt like he was fine. We come back down. We didn’t take the foul. (Markkanen) Gets a layup, and then we have to take a timeout.”
“That’s just the play. We’ll learn from it. We take the foul, side out, and we can sub. That’s the play, now do I trust my players? I trust my guys. As a coach, they said he was fine. I thought he was fine.”
Before Davis’ injury, the Mavericks enjoyed a four-point lead with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. At a crucial stage in the game, Dallas committed a costly shot-clock turnover, allowing the Jazz to make it a single-possession game.
According to Kidd’s statement, this would have been the ideal moment for Dallas to call a timeout, regroup, and allow Davis to get checked. Instead, Utah managed to score two points on an easy layup by Lauri Markkanen.
This turned the tide in Utah’s favor as the team went on a 7-0 run after Dallas eventually called a timeout. With a five-point cushion and less than two minutes on the clock, the Jazz emerged victorious.
Anthony Davis’ decision to stay in the game cannot be faulted, primarily because of his impact on the game (21 points, 11 rebounds, four assists). Still, considering the eventual result, Kidd’s comments seem understandable.
How Does Anthony Davis’ Injury Affect The Mavericks?
Although the loss hurts, the Mavericks are likely to be more concerned with Anthony Davis’ injury status moving forward. Despite the team’s poor form lately, having notched a 3-7 record in their last 10 games, Davis has been one of the team’s best players.
In this period, Davis has been averaging 20.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Given that he’s had three consecutive games with double-double figures, the Mavericks have depended on the big man to stay competitive.
With a 14-24 record, Dallas currently finds itself in 11th place, just 2.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies. Considering the recent injury report on Kyrie Irving, Dallas’ postseason aspirations seem to be in jeopardy. While also factoring in the time Davis could miss due to injury and the trade rumors involving him, the Mavericks could very well see their season come to a disappointing end.
