Dallas Mavericks centre Dwight Powell has suffered a rupture of his right Achilles tendon and is weighing his surgical options, the NBA team said in a release Wednesday.
The Toronto native was injured in the first quarter of the Mavericks' 110-107 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.
Powell went down with a non-contact injury with 2:57 left in the first quarter. He was helped to the locker room while putting no weight on his right leg. Teammate J.J. Barea — who tore his right Achilles tendon last season — was distraught as Powell was taken off the court.
Powell, in his sixth season in the NBA, averaged nearly 10 points and six rebounds a game in 39 previous games this season. He had increased his scoring average over each of his first five seasons.
The injury came on the same night seven-foot-three forward Kristaps Porzingis returned after missing 10 games because of a sore right knee. Powell averaged 13 points on 71 per cent shooting in the games Porzingis missed.
The injury effectively rules Powell out of Canada's squad for the men's basketball Olympic qualifying tournament in Victoria, which begins after the NBA season.
— With files from The Associated Press.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2020.
The Canadian Press
