The Dallas Mavericks will hit the road tonight to face the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center. The Mavs, who’ve struggled significantly this season, enter this game coming off a disappointing 116-126 defeat against the Golden State Warriors. So, they are in dire need of a win tonight, but that won’t come easily, especially after what happened on Thursday.

On Christmas Day, the defeat wasn’t the only blow the Mavericks suffered, as Anthony Davis also exited the game after landing awkwardly during a play late into the game. This obviously raised a lot of concern, given that the Brow has already missed a lot of games this season because of a calf strain. So, what’s the update on AD? Will he be back in action tonight?

Is Anthony Davis playing tonight against the Kings?

Well, that seems to be highly unlikely, especially after the update that ESPN’s Shams Charania dropped on the veteran forward.

“Mavericks star Anthony Davis has sustained a minor groin strain and is likely to miss a few games, sources tell ESPN. Davis, a significant trade target, will be evaluated daily. Mavs have taken a cautious approach with injuries, specifically for Davis, and will continue to do so,” Charania wrote on X.

Top Stories

Trae Young Keeps Everyone in the Dark Over Expiring Contract Situation After Trade to Wizards

Fans Fear for Trae Young’s NBA Future as Hawks Take Fire Over Poor Trade Return

Kyrie Irving Breaks Silence After Injury Return Update Emerges

Paige Bueckers Offers Reality Check on Unrivaled vs. WNBA Amid CBA Uncertainty

Why Is LeBron James Not Playing Tonight? JJ Redick Takes Major Decision Before Lakers-Spurs

The NBA insider stated that even though Anthony Davis hasn’t suffered a serious injury, he still will miss some time. So, it’s only right to assume that he probably won’t step on the court tonight. This, of course, is a bummer for the Mavericks, who are already dealing with several other injuries on their roster.

More so, because even though Davis hasn’t been able to stay healthy, whenever he’s able to clock in some minutes, he’s looked pretty solid. In fact, Dallas looks much more like a complete unit with him in the starting lineup. He’s been averaging 20.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game this season.

So, it goes without saying that not having him on the court will affect Dallas. However, they’ve got more injuries to deal with.

The Kings vs the Mavericks injury reports for December 27th

Here are all the players who could join Anthony Davis on the sidelines for tonight’s clash:

Dallas Mavericks injury report

Apart from Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving’s absence will be the most notable one for the Mavs. However, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise given that the veteran point guard has been ruled out of the season with an ACL injury. However, Dallas’ injury troubles don’t end with him, as they’ll also be without the likes of Dereck Lively II and Dante Exum.

While Lively II has suffered a foot injury and will probably not return to the court anytime soon, Exum has already ruled out of the season because of a knee injury. Lastly, Brandon Williams is also doubtful for Saturday’s game against the Kings because of a left calf contusion. This is all from the Mavs’ side, but what about their opponents?

Sacramento Kings Injury Report

The Kings also have their fair share of injury problems, with two of their star players, Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, both dealing with massive blows. On one hand, LaVine is struggling with an ankle injury, because of which he won’t play tonight. On the other hand, similarly, Sabonis won’t suit up for tonight due to a knee injury.

Of course, these are no minor absences for Sacramento, after all, LaVine has been their scoring leader, averaging 20.2 points, and Sabonis leads the team in rebounding, averaging 12.3 boards per game. So, without them on the court, the franchise won’t be anywhere near its best. Nonetheless, what’s worse is that on top of missing them, Sac-Town will also miss Keegan Murray and Drew Eubanks.

While Murray has sustained a mild calf strain and will be re-evaluated in about a week or so, Eubanks has suffered a devastating thumb fracture and won’t be playing on Saturday. Lastly, Devin Carter is also questionable for this game because of an ankle injury. So, it seems like the Kings will be forced to make several changes to their lineup tonight.

Predicted lineups for the Kings vs the Mavericks

Here’s how the Dallas Mavericks could start without Anthony Davis:

And, here’s how the Sacramento Kings could look without their two superstars:

This could’ve been a close game had the Kings not been without Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine. However, now that both of them are out of the picture, despite Anthony Davis’ status being in the air for tonight’s game, the Mavs look like the favorites to win this game on the road. Now, will that actually be the case? Only time will tell, as we await tip-off.