Mavericks’ PJ Washington exits vs. Rockets with ankle injury

DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks forward PJ Washington exited Saturday night’s game against the Houston Rockets with an apparent injury. During the second quarter, the Mavs confirmed that Washington suffered a right ankle sprain and said he will not return to the game.

Washington has dealt with injury concerns this season. The Mavs are obviously hopeful he won’t have to miss too much time with this ankle sprain, but a timeline for his return has yet to be revealed.

The 27-year-old entered Saturday’s matchup with per game averages of 15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals per outing. Despite Washington’s injury trouble, the forward had managed to appear in 29 of the Mavs’ 35 games played before Saturday.

Dallas is 12-23 and in 13th place in the Western Conference standings. However, the Mavericks currently lead the Rockets 57-50 at the half. Upsetting the 21-10 Rockets — who are in third place in the Western Conference — would be huge for the Mavs. Dallas has played no shortage of competitive contests this year, but the team has struggled to take care of business on a consistent basis.

Perhaps the Mavs can bounce back and get the job done against their Western Conference rival on Saturday night. There is still work to be done with another half of basketball left to be played, though. Of course, earning the win without Washington — who is a regular starter in the rotation — will prove to be a challenge.

We will continue to monitor and provide updates on PJ Washington’s injury status as they are made available.