DALLAS — In Monday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford sustained a sprained right knee and had to exit the match early in the second quarter.

Gafford’s injury occurred as he and Kings guard Malik Monk collided knee-to-knee at midcourt while the Kings were advancing the ball. He immediately fell to the floor, clutching his right knee, and required assistance to leave the court and head to the locker room.

The Mavericks were already facing significant challenges with injuries, missing power forwards Anthony Davis and P.J. Washington, along with centers Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell. Davis, who recently joined the Mavericks in a high-profile trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month, suffered his injury during his first game with the team on Saturday. As of now, Coach Jason Kidd mentioned that the status of Davis’ injury is still under assessment, and he is expected to be sidelined at least until after the All-Star break.

The Mavericks’ roster has been hit hard by the injury bug, leaving them to navigate these early setbacks as they look to maintain their competitiveness in the league.