Dallas Mavericks DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (knee) was originally expected to be re-evaluated in two weeks but will have to miss even more time. According to Shams Charania and Tim McMahon of ESPN, the big man will miss at least six weeks with a Grade 3 MCL sprain. This leaves the team hurting for frontcourt depth since Anthony Davis (Adductor), Dereck Lively II (ankle), and Dwight Powell (hip) are all out for an extended period of time. Olivier-Maxence Prosper should see a big uptick in minutes along with both Kessler Edwards and Naji Marshall. All three are in streaming territory after the former two joined the starting five and Marshall saw 33 minutes off of the bench in their last game on Thursday.

Dallas Mavericks guard/forward Dante Exum (Achilles) will suit up for Thursday's clash against the Miami Heat. He sat out Wednesday's matchup against the Golden State Warriors and was initially on the injury report with a questionable designation. The Mavericks receive much-needed help with Exum back, as the team is down to its bare bones with all regular starters sidelined. The versatile Australian may receive increased usage on Thursday, but it's important to note that Exum, who has an extensive injury history, hasn't played more than 21 minutes in any game this season.

Dallas Mavericks guard/forward Klay Thompson (foot) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Miami Heat after being downgraded from questionable to out. Thompson logged 34 minutes on Wednesday in a special matchup against his former team, the Golden State Warriors, and the Mavericks will manage his workload by giving the veteran the night off against Miami. Kyrie Irving (shoulder) has also been ruled out, which means the Mavericks will enter Thursday's contest without any of their regular starters. Naji Marshall, Dante Exum, Max Christie, and Spencer Dinwiddie could all emerge as key players instead of the usual suspects.

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (shoulder) will miss Thursday's matchup against the Miami Heat. On Wednesday, Irving led the Mavericks to victory with a monster 42-point effort against the Golden State Warriors, and he gets a well-earned rest day on Thursday. Irving's absence opens up tons of usage for the likes of Spencer Dinwiddie, Max Christie, and Dante Exum (Achilles. The latter has been cleared for action after initially carrying a questionable tag.

Dallas Mavericks forward Klay Thompson (foot) played 34 minutes against his former team on Wednesday night, but he is listed as questionable on Thursday against Miami for the second half of the Mavericks' back-to-back set of games before the All-Star break. Thompson had 17 points, seven assists, two rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in the win and has been a solid recent contributor for the Mavericks, who are dealing with multiple injuries in their frontcourt. Thompson is joined by Kyrie Irving (shoulder) as questionable on the injury report, and if Kyrie is out but Klay plays, he could have a heavy workload. If both starters are sidelined, the rest of the depth chart will be especially busy, opening huge fantasy opportunities for Spencer Dinwiddie, Max Christie, and Naji Marshall.