Kings vs. Mavericks: Luka Doncic trade, Anthony Davis injury news and 3 things to watch
The Kings are about to face the Dallas Mavericks for the first time since Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, but they won’t have to deal with Davis.
Davis, a 10-time All-Star, suffered a left adductor strain after putting up 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots in his Mavericks debut Saturday.
Davis has been ruled out for Monday’s game against the Kings at American Airlines Center in Dallas. He is reportedly expected to miss multiple weeks, possibly a month or more pending further discussion of treatment options.
The Kings (26-26) are coming off a 123-118 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. They are ninth in the Western Conference, 3 ½ games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 6 seed.
The Mavericks (28-25) are coming off back-to-back wins over the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets. They are eighth in the West, two games behind Minnesota.
Here are three things to watch in Monday’s game.
Dallas’ injuries
The Mavericks are dealing with injuries to several of their top rotation players.
Max Christie (right shoulder strain) and Dante Exum (left Achilles tightness) are listed as questionable for Monday’s game. Davis (left adductor strain), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Caleb Martin (right hip strain), Dwight Powell (right hip strain) and P.J. Washington (right ankle sprain) have all been ruled out.
Containing Kyrie
The Kings will still have find a way to contain Kyrie Irving, who is averaging 24.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 47.5% from the field and 40.7% from 3-point range.
Irving was held to 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting in Saturday’s loss to Houston, but he has nine 30-point games this season, including a 43-point game against the Denver Nuggets and a 46-point game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Feed Sabonis
The Mavericks are going to be shorthanded and undersized with Davis, Lively, Martin, Powell and Washington out due to injuries.
Kings center Domantas Sabonis, the NBA leader with 46 double-doubles and a possible All-Star injury replacement for Davis, could have a big game. Sabonis is averaging career highs of 20.5 points and 14.3 rebounds along with 6.2 assists. He is shooting 59.8% from the field and a career-best 45.8% from 3-point range.
Kings and Mavericks
When: 5:30 p.m.
Where: American Airlines Center
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Odds: Mavericks -1.5
Over/under: 236.5
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Devin Carter (G League); Isaiah Crawford (G League).
Mavericks: QUESTIONABLE — Max Christie (shoulder); Dante Exum (Achilles). OUT — Anthony Davis (adductor); Dereck Lively II (ankle); Caleb Martin (hip); Dwight Powell (hip); P.J. Washington (ankle).
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
