The Dallas Mavericks will face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they will be without a handful of their players for the matchup. In the Mavericks' latest game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Klay Thompson was ruled out due to rest, and that meant he played more minutes than usual in the game before facing the Atlanta Hawks.
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Mavericks would rule out Daniel Gafford due to rest after he finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds against the Grizzlies. PJ Washington is listed as questionable with a sore left ankle, and Najee Marshall is listed as questionable with a sore left foot.
Of course, other players on the list have been out most of the season due to injuries, such as Kyrie Irving and Derek Lively II.
The league has never been afraid to look at why teams aren't playing specific players, but the Mavericks have a good argument if they do. This is back-to-back, and they actually won the game against the Grizzlies, so it doesn't seem like they're obviously trying to lose the game.
It has been a tough season overall for the Mavericks health-wise, as most of their key players have been in and out of the lineup. Irving did not fit in at all as he recovered from an ACL injury suffered last season. When Anthony Davis was still on the team, he only played 20 games due to injuries, and he has yet to play for the Washington Wizards.
Before the All-Star break, Cooper Flagg suffered a foot injury that caused him to miss a few games, but he has been able to return and play in the last few games.
It may be disappointing for Mavericks fans to wonder what this team would look like if everyone were available at the same time.
