Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz

Injuries noted

Dallas Mavericks: P.J. Washington (Day-To-Day) — Washington is on track to sit out his second straight game Thursday, which will open up minutes for Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin. Check back closer to Thursday's tip for official word on Washington's status.; Dereck Lively II (Out) — Lively sought out multiple opinions on his right foot, but it was ultimately determined that season-ending surgery was the best course of action for the third-year center, and he's expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2026-27 season. Daniel Gafford and Dwight Powell will continue to serve as the main big men for Dallas behind Anthony Davis in Lively's absence.; Kyrie Irving (Out) — Irving tore the ACL in his left knee at the beginning of March, ending his 2024-25 campaign, but after undergoing surgery, the Mavericks said they were optimistic their superstar guard would return to action before 2026, per Shams Charania of ESPN. Before training camp this season, there was another positive update about Irving's recovery, with Ashish Mathur of the Dallas Hoops Journal reporting that the veteran was ahead of schedule in his recovery. However, a few days later, head coach Jason Kidd pumped the brakes, saying Irving is doing "quite well" but added that declaring he was "ahead of schedule is not fair," per Christian Clark of The Athletic. It's clear that Irving and the Mavericks don't want to pick a target date until they are absolutely certain he's ready for game action, but Afseth notes that the vibe around the organization is that Irving could return before the mid-February All-Star break. "I've personally liked, from my understanding of the situation, have long held the thought that there's optimism of a pre-All-Star break return. But that's not ever been like super like that's happening, there hasn't been a set guarantee like anything of that nature," Afseth concluded. NBA insider Marc J. Spears also relayed a promising update on Irving in mid-November, "Kyrie's looking good. He's ahead of schedule," Spears said. "He's working out with the purpose of playing this season, which I'm sure Mavs fans are glad to hear. I think, optimistic-wise, around late-January, All-Star break. Someone close to him told me that if it was the playoffs, he could play right now. That's how ahead of schedule he is." Despite all the optimism, fantasy managers are going to be left in the dark for at least a few more weeks before we learn anything definitive. Irving has been spotted doing light, individual drills at recent practices and is spending a lot of time mentoring Cooper Flagg.; Dante Exum (Out) — Exum needs a follow-up procedure after dealing with complications from offseason right knee surgery, which will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the year. The veteran guard will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Until Kyrie Irving (knee) is cleared to play, D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Williams should continue to share the minutes at point guard.; Brandon Williams (Day-To-Day) — Williams has picked up a heel bruise, and the issue could sideline him for Thursday's contest. The backup guard has played 24 or more minutes in five consecutive games, averaging 19.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals during that span.

Utah Jazz: Kevin Love (Day-To-Day) — After holding him out of action during Monday's loss in Portland, the Jazz are electing to give Love another maintenance day Wednesday. The veteran big man's absence should enable Kyle Filipowski to solely take on backup center duties behind Jusuf Nurkic.; Georges Niang (Out) — Niang has yet to make his season debut due to a stress reaction in his left foot. The veteran forward is slated to be re-evaluated in the near future, though he should be considered week-to-week until the Jazz offer an update on his timeline for a return.; Walker Kessler (Out) — This is a devastating blow for the Jazz and for Kessler's fantasy managers given his high price in drafts.