What happened to Daniel Gafford? Mavs star in visible pain as he limps toward the locker room vs the Jazz

The Mavs’ misery continues. Well, they went into tonight’s game with three straight losses. And they were also missing several key players due to injury, including superstar Kyrie Irving. So the desperation to somehow break the losing streak was evident when they went head-to-head against the Jazz. But things quickly went south due to another massive setback when Daniel Gafford suffered an unfortunate injury that saw him leave the game midway through.

Yes, the incident occurred around the seven-minute mark in the third quarter, when Gafford was fighting for a rebound inside the paint. When Lauri Markkanen won that game on Dwight Powell’s missed shot, Gafford quickly turned to run back on defense. Unfortunately, his right foot slipped during the turn and he fell straight to the floor. As the play continued, he could be seen in visible pain still down from the terrifying fall.

Meanwhile, the Jazz took advantage and scored a triple at the other end. With the center still not up, the Mavs had no option but to intentionally foul and stop the play. Admittedly, concerns grew when Gafford was seen limping off the field favoring his right leg. And he went straight to the dressing room.

Obviously, this is a massive blow to the team, as Gafford has been one of their most effective players thus far. He is averaging 12.2 points on 72.5% efficiency from the field. Furthermore, he has also been a solid defensive presence. And losing him could hurt the Mavs going forward.

The Mavs breathe a sigh of relief as Daniel Gafford returns, but the injury bug continues to plague them

With fans fearing a major injury, Gafford gave them a huge sigh of relief when he returned to the floor later in the match. But he didn’t get much playing time and finished the night with just ten points. Also, the Mavs ended up losing to the Jazz, extending their losing streak to four games. Hopefully Gafford can play in the upcoming games because his team already has several injuries.

Of course, the biggest blow tonight was the absence of Kyrie as he dealt with a strained right shoulder. Then PJ Washington has also been out for the last five games with a sprained right knee. And Dante Exum has yet to make his season debut as he is out with wrist surgery. In addition, Luka Doncic is also playing through a long-term right knee contusion. So the Mavs can’t afford any more setbacks if they want to contend for the title again.