Mavericks center Daniel Gafford emerges from injury, ready to ignite Dallas' frontcourt in Mexico City's NBA showdown against the Detroit Pistons.
MEXICO CITY — Daniel Gafford says he’s ready to play. After a month-long recovery from a right ankle sprain suffered on the first day of training camp, the Dallas Mavericks center expects to make his season debut Saturday night against the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Mexico City Game 2025.
“It’s been a one-day-at-a-time mentality,” Gafford said at shootaround. “I really want to make sure I communicate with the training staff and let them know how I feel. That’s been my biggest thing throughout this process because I’ve been bad at that in the past with injuries.”
The Mavericks listed Gafford as questionable, but he said he plans to suit up.
“Of course, yeah,” he said.
Gafford’s return would provide an immediate boost for a Dallas team missing two key big men. Anthony Davis will sit out at least two more games with a low-grade left calf strain before being re-evaluated once the Mavericks return home, while Dereck Lively II remains sidelined indefinitely with a right knee sprain.
Without them, Dallas has leaned heavily on Dwight Powell and P.J. Washington in the frontcourt. The Mavericks have gone 2–3 to start the season, showing flashes of strong defense but lacking interior depth.
Gafford, 27, said the injury occurred when he came down awkwardly on Davis’ foot during a drill.
“It’s kind of embarrassing to say—it was one of the first drills we did,” Gafford said. “I came down on A.D.’s foot. Just bad circumstances, honestly. Couldn’t really control it. It wasn’t something anybody planned to happen, but as they say, stuff happens, and you just have to get through it.”
He spent the past several weeks rebuilding conditioning and strength while balancing patience with eagerness to return.
“There are times when you want to rush through the process,” he said. “I just had to listen to my body. This month has been about getting my conditioning back, keeping my strength up, and staying ready.”
Saturday’s game will be Gafford’s first in Mexico City, and he admitted the altitude was tougher than expected.
“Honestly, I heard stuff about the altitude, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as crazy as it was when we first got here,” he said. “When I first arrived, it was rough. You get short of breath, maybe a little cough, but once you start running drills and playing basketball, your lungs get used to it.”
Gafford said he’s looking forward to the atmosphere in what will be the Mavericks’ fourth regular-season appearance in Mexico City — the most by any NBA franchise.
“I know the fans are going to come in like any others around the world—just have fun and enjoy the game of basketball,” he said. “As electric as you said it’s going to be, I’m sure they’ll try to blow the roof off the arena tonight.”