Daniel Gafford’s right ankle injury continued to cause problems for the Mavericks on Tuesday night.
Dallas’ big man appeared to aggravate his lingering ankle injury again in the second quarter of the Mavs’ game against the Celtics. When playing defense, Gafford’s right leg bumped into a Celtics player and it caused his right ankle to turn awkwardly. He went down immediately and was grabbing at his ankle.
Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford just went back to the locker room.
He was holding his right ankle.
He sprained this ankle on the first day of training camp this season, and has re-injured it multiple times. pic.twitter.com/MqIbmiiQGJ
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) February 4, 2026
He was ultimately able to return to the game late in the middle of the third quarter
Mavericks
Gafford initially sprained his ankle on the first day of training camp and has aggravated it several times over the course of the season, with his most recent exit coming on Jan. 14. The nagging injury has caused Gafford to miss 16 games so far this season and Tuesday’s injury could lead to more absences.
“It’s a bit of a balanced scale,” Gafford said of managing his injury back on Dec. 15. “I want to be out there on the floor as much as I can. But at the same time, you have to listen to your body, especially through the course of a season.
“I just want to come back and be able to do the things I’m able to do out there on the floor and make an impact. I don’t want to be out there being a liability and hurting the team more than helping them.”
In 33 games this season, Gafford is averaging 8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
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