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[Saba Sports News] At this point, it’s hard to tell whether to laugh or feel sorry for the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs were in a brutal spot heading into Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, with injuries piling up at an alarming rate. Dante Exum (foot) and Kai Jones (quad) were ruled out, joining seven other sidelined players, leaving Dallas with just eight active players for the contest.
A viral photo from the game perfectly captured the team’s manpower crisis, showing an almost completely empty Mavericks bench. At one point, only Kessler Edwards and an injured Jones (in street clothes) were occupying the seats. Take a look below.
A video from another moment in the game showed the bench slightly more occupied, but there were still plenty of empty seats—a rare sight for an NBA team.
Dallas’ injury list was staggering: Kyrie Irving (torn ACL), Caleb Martin (hip), PJ Washington (ankle), Jaden Hardy (ankle), Anthony Davis (adductor), Daniel Gafford (knee), and Dereck Lively II (foot) were all out. With so many key players missing, the Mavericks quickly fell behind and trailed 72-53 at halftime.
The Mavs have endured an almost biblical plague of injuries this season, but rival fans may not be too sympathetic after the team’s controversial decision to trade Luka Doncic last month for Anthony Davis—who already had a history of injury concerns.
Still, Mavericks fans are feeling the pain, with social media reflecting their growing frustration as the team’s misfortunes continue to pile up.