Dallas Mavericks DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell (hip) is nearing a return but is unlikely to be ready to play this Friday when Dallas hosts the Pelicans. Powell went through non-contact activities during practice on Thursday but was listed as doubtful on the injury report for Friday. Powell has been sidelined since January 17, but he has played limited minutes this season, averaging just 7.6 minutes in his 33 games. Despite that very limited workload, he could get extra work when available since Anthony Davis (adductor), Daniel Gafford (knee), and Dereck Lively (ankle) are all sidelined, while P.J. Washington (ankle) is questionable for Friday's contest.

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (ankle) was able to return to practice on Thursday and was listed as questionable for the team's Friday matchup at home against the Pelicans. Washington has been sidelined since February 8 and missed six of the Mavs' last seven games with his ankle injury. With both Daniel Gafford (knee) and Anthony Davis (adductor) out for extended time still, the Mavericks would rely heavily on Washington in the front court if he's available. While he has been out, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Kessler Edwards have been getting extra playing time and usage. Before getting injured, Washington was posting strong numbers, averaging 22.5 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 steals in 35.9 minutes per game over his previous six contests.

Dallas Mavericks center Anthony Davis (adductor) was already expected to be out "multiple" weeks in an earlier report from Shams Charania and Tim McMahon from ESPN. In their latest report that confirmed Daniel Gafford (knee) is out for six weeks, they also said that sources told them Davis is expected to miss "at least four weeks." The report also suggests that the Mavericks are going to be cautious about Davis' recovery since he was the headlining piece in the trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kessler Edwards got the start at center in their last game while Naji Marshall and Olivier-Maxence Prosper saw a big increase in opportunities as well.