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BOSTON – The Dallas Mavericks, much like the Boston Celtics, have endured injuries to a number of their core players during the first few weeks of the season.
Dallas has had to overcome the absences of former All-Stars Dirk Nowitzki, who has missed the last four games with a sore right Achilles, and Deron Williams, who has also missed four straight contests due to a left calf strain.
Williams and Nowitzki’s backups, point guard Devin Harris (toe sprain) and power forward Quincy Acy (laceration above eye), are also on the Mavericks’ injury report.
Meanwhile, the Celtics, who host Dallas Wednesday night, have been dealing with key injuries of their own.
Al Horford has missed seven straight games with a concussion and Jae Crowder has missed the last six contests because of a sprained left ankle. Key reserves Marcus Smart (ankle) and Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) have also missed time.
The 5-5 Celtics believe their injuries are holding them back during the early goings of the season, and the 2-7 Mavs can relate to such vexation.
“It’s very frustrating for us as a team,” Williams said Wednesday morning, following Dallas’ shootaround. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are banged up, nicked up, and we haven’t had a chance to be at full strength. And it’s just the beginning of the season so we want to try to get everybody healthy and back out there.”
Williams is listed as a game-time decision for Wednesday night, though he said he plans to suit up and play. The 32-year-old point guard has been dealing with nagging injuries over the last few seasons, and he lists his age as a big reason why.
“It’s different than being 23 or 24,” said Williams, whose Mavericks are the fourth-oldest team in the NBA. “Little nicks when you’re 24 are easier to get through, but when you’re 32 they kind of turn into different things. So I’m trying to figure that out and deal with it as it comes.”
While Dallas has been frustrated by its injury woes, coach Rick Carlisle pointed out that it’s given younger players an opportunity to step up.
“Guys are getting minutes that would normally not get minutes, so they’re getting a chance to get experience and that’s a good thing,” said Carlisle. “We obviously are trying to win games, and so far it’s been difficult, but we’ve got to stay the course.
“It’s a long season,” he added. “There’s a ton more games to go, and no one’s going to drop their heads here; I’ll make sure of that.”
One player who is certainly not dropping his head is Harrison Barnes, who came over from Golden State during the offseason and has quickly emerged as Dallas’ No. 1 option. The 24-year-old forward is averaging career highs of 22.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while shooting a career-best 49.1 percent from the field.
Barnes is used to playing in a winning environment coming from a Warriors team that, last season, did not lose its seventh game until mid-March. He says, however, that this frustrating period has also been a great learning experience for him.
“The schedule waits for no one; I think that’s what we’ve learned,” said Barnes. “We’ve had a lot of young guys that have stepped up and played well. We might not know when guys are going to come back, but we’ve just got to continue to keep fighting and just get over that edge.”
Dallas will look to continue their fight Wednesday night when they take on an equally banged-up and eager Celtics team at TD Garden.