Max Christie played 7 minutes and 40 seconds Monday night, then limped off with a right hip injury in the Mavericks’ 115-100 loss to a Sacramento Kings team that had not yet won a game. Now he’s a game-time decision for Wednesday in San Antonio, and he isn’t Dallas’ only one. The Max Christie injury is also his third ailment in about two weeks, which is the part worth noticing.
Max Christie Injury: What We Know
Christie was a starter and went to the floor after a turnover midway through the second quarter. He checked out with 6:59 left in the period, and early in the second half the team announced he wouldn’t return. He finished 0-of-5, all threes, with two rebounds and a steal. Coach Dusty May didn’t see the play, saying only that Christie was “hobbling a little bit” and would be reevaluated over the next couple of days. Walter Clayton Jr. took his place to open the second half and scored 20 points off the bench.
A Third Ailment in Two Weeks
This isn’t Christie’s first problem of the young season. He was dealing with a sore foot before the opener, practiced in full and played. He bruised his shin in Friday’s win over Indiana and was listed questionable for the Spurs game before playing through it. Now it’s the hip. Before Monday he was shooting 31.3 percent from three on 5.3 attempts a game. After going 0-of-5, he’s 10-of-37, or about 27 percent. I’m not saying the injuries explain the slump. But he’s started all seven games, and the Mavericks have gotten very little from the position.
A Backcourt Running Out of Bodies
The Mavericks list six players on their injury report. Kyrie Irving (left knee injury management) is a game-time decision after scoring 35 against Houston on Friday. Sergio De Larrea (right knee sprain), Santi Aldama (right knee surgery recovery), Tarik Biberović (right heel bursitis) and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) are out. The Mavs shot 7-of-33 from three on Monday while Darius Acuff Jr., Malik Monk and Zach LaVine combined for 72 points, and the loss ended a three-game winning streak to leavethe Mavs at 4-3.
If both Irving and Christie sit, Dallas leans on Clayton and Cooper Flagg against a Spurs team on a five-game win streakled by Victor Wembanyama. May hasn’t offered a timeline beyond “the next couple of days,” which suggests he’ll be careful with both. That’s probably the right call, but with six players already out, the Mavericks don’t have a lot of room to be careful.
Max Christie Injury Is His Third Ailment in Two Weeks for the Mavericks