Daniel Gafford was downgraded on the injury report against the Raptors
The Dallas Mavericks will be without one of its centers for the third straight game Sunday night. After initially being listed as questionable for the game with a sprained right ankle, Daniel Gafford was demoted to out for Sunday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors, according to NBA injury report. Kyrie Irving and Dante Ekum also remain out, while Brandon Williams is listed as out for personal reasons.
Gafford succumbed to the injury before the season. He has yet to make his regular season debut. An official timeline for the return has not been revealed.
Coach Jason Kidd previously refused to rule Gafford out for the season opener. He has been listed as questionable or questionable on every injury report so far during the regular season, but Gafford has yet to play in a single game. The fact that he is not listed on a consistent basis at first is a seemingly encouraging sign, but overall there is still uncertainty.
The Mavs could certainly use Gafford’s help. Dallas is 0-2 so far to start the 2025-26 campaign. It’s been an extremely disappointing start to the year — and the struggles have unfortunately overshadowed the start of Cooper Flagg’s career.
As for the center position, Derek Lively II starts with Anthony Davis at the four. AD played a central role in smaller teams, while Dwight Powell occasionally came off the bench. Gafford will likely play as Lively’s backup when he returns from injury.
The Mavericks will look to get their first win of the season on Sunday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM EST.
2025-10-26 20:00:00
