Dallas Mavericks DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell (hip) will miss a third straight game for the Mavs when they visit the Thunder on Thursday night. Powell's absence is poorly timed since Dereck Lively II (ankle) is out for a while leaving Daniel Gafford to play huge minutes in the middle. Gafford has averaged 20.0 points and 11.3 rebounds over his last four games while also posting multiple blocks in each contest and averaging 3.5 blocks per game. Gafford should continue to get huge playing time at center for as long as Powell and Lively are out while Maxi Kleber fills in as the only real backup big man available.

Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (illness) will not be able to return to action for Dallas in the second game of their back-to-back on Thursday night against the Thunder. Marshall had played 30+ minutes in three straight games before missing Wednesday's contest with an illness. The Mavs were short-handed on the wing since Klay Thompson (ankle) was also out and will miss Thursday's game as well. Without Marshall and Thompson, Quentin Grimes and Olivier-Maxence Prosper will get plenty of work against the Thunder. Grimes only had five points, four rebounds, and three assists despite playing 36 minutes Wednesday while Prosper had four points and four boards in 25 minutes.

Dallas Mavericks forward Klay Thompson (ankle) will miss a second straight game on Thursday as the Mavs visit the Thunder to finish their back-to-back. Since Naji Marshall (illness) is also out for a second straight game, Quentin Grimes will have to carry a hefty workload. On Wednesday, he was also questionable with a back issue but was able to play and log 36 minutes in Dallas's one-point loss to Minnesota. Grimes only had five points, four rebounds, and three assists despite playing plenty of minutes, and he'll look to be more productive on Thursday in a tough matchup against Oklahoma City. Thompson's next chance to return will be Saturday at home against the Celtics.

Los Angeles Lakers forward/center Anthony Davis (calf) is probable for Thursday's clash against the Boston Celtics. Davis has been nursing a foot injury throughout the campaign and now also deals with soreness in his right calf. However, Davis played through the injury on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards, despite initially carrying a questionable tag. It is safe to assume he will also be on the court Thursday night. The calf injury didn't slow down Davis one bit against the Wizards, as the Lakers' star big man racked up 29 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and one steal. A similar effort is expected from him in Thursday's tough matchup against the defending champions.

Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (illness) is not available against Minnesota on Wednesday. He is forced to sit out the first leg of a back-to-back due to an illness. Marshall carried a questionable tag initially, so there's a chance he may hop back into the lineup on Thursday against Oklahoma City. The Mavericks are once again down to bare bones, meaning Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, and P.J. Washington will have a lot of work to do on the offensive end. Quentin Grimes (back), who is returning from a one-game absence, will likely be heavily involved right off the bat, with Olivier-Maxence Prosper seeing extra action in the rotation.