Mavericks get disastrous injury news on newly acquired star

The Mavericks fear newly acquired Anthony Davis could be sidelined for an indefinite period after he was injured during his Dallas debut on Saturday, Marc Stein tweets. Davis is expected to miss multiple weeks and it could be a month-long absence, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link).

Davis is listed as out for Monday’s game against Sacramento due to a left adductor strain, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. There will be internal discussions on Monday as to whether Davis can avoid surgery, Stein adds in another tweet.

Davis posted 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes of action as Dallas defeated Houston to improve to 28-25. He also had three blocks, helping the Mavs set a franchise record with 18 total.

It was the first game action in more than a week for Davis, who suffered a strained abdomen while he was still with the Lakers. Davis had downplayed the injury to the media afterward.

"My leg got tight, like a little spasm," Davis said. "I came back to try to get it loose while still dealing with the abdominal strain. But I managed to loosen it up, and it’s nothing serious. I’m fine."

Davis appeared in 76 games last season for the Lakers but had an extensive injury history before that season. He didn’t appear in more than 62 games in the previous five seasons.

It’s a disastrous development for the Mavericks, who have been heavily criticized for the deal that sent superstar Luka Doncic to Los Angeles. The deal has been extremely unpopular with Dallas fans and their anger could only increase with Davis out of action, while Doncic is poised to make his Lakers debut.

Davis was chosen as a Western Conference All-Star, and he’ll need to be replaced.