Daniel Gafford's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (ankle) will return to action on Thursday against Portland. The team has upgraded Gafford from questionable to available. He ended up missing just one game after injuring his left ankle on Monday versus Memphis. Gafford will provide support to starting center Dereck Lively II, with Maxi Kleber likely seeing less action on Thursday. The Trail Blazers allow the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing centers, so Gafford and Dereck Lively II should enjoy a productive evening.

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford is questionable for the Mavs' Thursday matchup with the Trail Blazers after missing just one game with a sprained ankle suffered in Monday's loss to the Grizzlies. After the injury, coach Jason Kidd said Gafford was "probably going to be out some time," so him missing just one game would actually seem to be a very favorable outcome for the 26-year-old big man. Gafford has averaged 11.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 20.1 minutes per game while sharing time in the middle with Dereck Lively II. Gafford had a few big games while Lively was sidelined recently, but he'll be back in the timeshare if he's able to return Thursday. If he misses a second game, Lively would carry the load in the middle with Maxi Kleber getting more work off the bench.

The Mavs PR X account announced that Dallas Mavericks centerDaniel Gafford(ankle) is unavailable for Tuesday's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Gafford suffered a sprained ankle on Monday versus Memphis. If the 26-year-old is out for a while, Dallas will miss his aggressiveness in the paint. Gafford has averaged 11.7 points, six rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 blocks across 25 games this season. In the meantime, expect Maxi Kleber, Dereck Lively, and Dwight Powell to see an uptick in minutes on the court.