Daniel Gafford shows glimpse of former self despite Mavericks’ third-straight loss

PORTLAND — Daniel Gafford chuckled when asked about his health during Monday’s shootaround just hours before the Mavericks played against the Portland Trail Blazers.

“I’m feeling, I would say, good,” Gafford said with a sense of hesitation. “Just taking it one day at a time still and trying to get fully back to the Gafford that everybody’s used to seeing play instead of this terrible image of what I’m showing right now.”

It was a critical self-assessment of his play since returning from a third re-aggravation of a lingering right ankle sprain. Gafford entered Monday’s slim 125-122 loss to the Blazers averaging 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds, which are considerably low marks for his standards.

However, he left Moda Center with his best performance since the Mavericks defeated those same Blazers in an overtime win at home on Nov. 16. Gafford produced a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds with three blocks on Monday night.

Mavericks

Prior to his most recent performance, Gafford hadn’t recorded a double-double since his 11-point, 11-rebound output in Miami on Nov. 24. He missed five of the following seven games after that because of injury management as he’s dealt with soreness in his right ankle all season from a sprain suffered on the first day of training camp.

Since his return on Dec. 15, Gafford has been on a minutes restriction and has only been able to muster 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during that stretch. But with Anthony Davis sidelined with right adductor soreness, the Mavericks are relying upon their big man to return to the dominant rim protector and lob threat that helped them reach the NBA Finals in 2024.

“I think getting healthy is just where it starts,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. “As he’s getting healthy here and with AD out, he’ll have more minutes and more opportunity for him to get into that rhythm.”

Kidd wouldn’t agree with Gafford’s sentiments that he’s played terrible, instead acknowledging the difficulty of establishing a rhythm on both ends of the floor while Davis assumed the role of the starting center in his return from a left calf strain.

“I don’t know if he’s terrible, I just think it’s a matter of getting more minutes,” Kidd said. “With AD playing the five, his minutes have come down dramatically. I think having the opportunity to play more minutes, he’ll get into a rhythm.”

Gafford played 25.5 minutes on Monday night after playing 23 minutes in Saturday’s loss at Sacramento. Both were the most he’s played since he logged 28 minutes in that victory over Miami. Gafford said getting back in game shape was one of the areas he’s struggled the most, but that didn’t appear to bother him on Monday.

Gafford had his best quarter of the season by recording 10 points (4-of-4 from the field; 2-of-2 from the free throw line) in the first quarter against the Blazers. That scoring total marked a season-high for a quarter and the 24th double-figure scoring quarter of his career. His explosiveness was also present, evident by his two poster dunks over Donovan Clingan and Rayan Rupert.

His vertical presence wasn’t just felt on the offensive end, but his three rejections marked a step in the right direction, which the Mavericks will need until their defensive anchor in Davis returns.

“It falls on me when it comes to the defensive side, mainly,” Gafford said. “I have to work extra hard when it comes to it. It’s another man up mentality. We lost another soldier so now we have to lift him up as we go out and work to win these games.”

In a different reality, one without injuries, the Mavericks would’ve had the luxury of using all three of their primary big men in Gafford, Davis and Dereck Lively II, who recently had season-ending surgery on his right foot.

Instead, they are relying on Davis on a part-time basis, a less than 100% Gafford, veteran big man Dwight Powell and two-way center Moussa Cisse.

“It’s just tough because of the simple fact that we don’t have the guys to be on the door at the same time. Injuries have been our Achilles heel, but we’re managing,” Gafford said. “It’s just something we’re trying to figure out on the fly.”

Mavericks finish out transformative calendar year with close loss to Trail Blazers