Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Downplays injury after early exit

Gafford said that he expects to be available for the Mavericks' next game Thursday in Boston after exiting with 3:20 in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 118-116 loss to the 76ers with a left shoulder injury, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gafford noted that the injury stemmed from him getting hit in the head, resulting in his neck jamming up before his left shoulder started to feel numb. The center said he could have played through the injury, but he remained on the bench for the closing minutes and finished with 12 points (5-10 FG, 2-2 FT), six rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes. While Gafford's comments about his injury are encouraging, his status will still need to be monitored leading up to Thursday. The Mavericks may have the recently acquired Anthony Davis (abdomen) available to make his team debut Thursday, and his presence could result in Gafford losing out on some playing time after he logged 30-plus minutes in seven of his last 10 appearances.