Anthony Davis Nearing Return With Mavericks On Brink Of Postseason

Despite the well-chronicled struggles of the Dallas Mavericks this season, they still have a solid chance of finishing in the top-10 and qualifying for the Play-In Tournament. Getting their star player back into the lineup would certainly help the cause, and Anthony Davis is reportedly getting close to returning to action.

Anthony Davis Nearing A Return To Mavericks Lineup

The “hype” surrounding his arrival was short-lived. The Mavericks stunned their fans and the rest of the NBA world by trading away franchise centerpiece Luka Doncic in early February, but there was at least some hope that a return of Anthony Davis would help their defensive inefficiencies and allow them to make some kind of run during the 2025 postseason. When he made his Mavericks debut on February 8th, the team was in 8th place in the Western Conference, and they hoped to at least remain afloat in order to make the Play-In Tournament.

Things got off to a great start, as Davis was able to put up a stat line of 26 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks in his debut. But disaster struck during his first game with the Mavericks when he fell to the ground after suffering an adductor strain, an ailment that cut his debut short and would force him out of the lineup for over a month and a half.

Anthony Davis is now in contention to make his return to the Mavericks’ lineup tonight in Brooklyn after the team upgraded him to questionable. https://t.co/iGAgxHhLAc

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 24, 2025

It was the tip of the injury iceberg for Dallas, who have lost Kyrie Irving and a handful of others for the season in the time since.

But while they’re no longer in the 8th spot in the West, the Mavericks are still breathing when it comes to their postseason chances, and a return of Davis to the lineup could help boost their status in that regard. It was reported on Sunday that the nine-time All-Star was nearing a return, and there was hope that he’d be available for Tuesday night’s game against the Knicks.

The diagnosis got even better on Monday, with reports now saying that his status for tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets would be upgraded to “questionable”.

As it stands today, the Mavericks are in 11th place in the West, but share an identical 34-37 record with the Phoenix Suns, who occupy the 10th spot. Both of those teams are just 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings for 9th place. If Davis is able to provide any type of boost for Dallas, we could see them make a run at one of the final Play-In spots.

The schedule bodes well for them. With just a few weeks left in the regular season, the Mavericks rank 20th in the league when it comes to the strength of their remaining schedule. The Kings have the 7th-toughest, while no one has a harder paththan the Suns.