Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis will not have surgery on his injured left hand and “is expected to heal” from the injury in about six weeks, the team announced Tuesday night.
Davis met with his doctor on Tuesday to be evaluated for the ligament damage he suffered late in Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz when his left hand got scrunched up against Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen’s body while defending a drive to the basket. Davis had his left arm wrapped in a sling Saturday when the Mavericks faced the Chicago Bulls in the final game of their road trip.
Earlier Tuesday, Davis pushed back on reports that he had played his final game this regular season. On the social media platform X, Davis wrote “Lies!” in response to a since-deleted message stating he was set to undergo season-ending surgery on his left hand.
Lies! But yall keep listening to them.
— Anthony Davis (@AntDavis23) January 13, 2026
ESPN reported earlier Tuesday that Davis was “likely to undergo surgery to repair ligament damage in his left hand and miss several months.”
On Monday, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said Davis would be meeting with a hand specialist this week, and that it was too early to know if Davis would need surgery.
“I think that’s sometime this week that he’ll talk to the doctors, but there is no schedule or timetable on when he’s going to make that announcement,” Kidd said.
The Athletic reported Friday that Davis was expected to miss several weeks, even if he didn’t need surgery. In the weeks before he went down with his latest injury, the Mavericks were exploring his trade market. The Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors were two of the teams that registered interest, multiple league sources told The Athletic.
The Mavericks acquired Davis in a trade for Luka Dončić in February, but injuries have marred Davis’ time in Dallas. He suffered a left adductor strain in his first game with the Mavericks in February and missed close to six weeks. He was then sidelined for 14 consecutive games this season with a left calf strain.
The Mavericks have a 10-10 record when Davis plays this season and are 5-15 when he sits. In his 11-month Dallas tenure, Davis has played in 31 games and missed 44.
— The Athletic’s Sam Amick contributed.