Anthony Davis was ruled out of Thursday night’s game against the host Boston Celtics with an abdominal strain, pushing back his Dallas Mavericks’ debut to Saturday at the earliest.

Davis was acquired in the deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The 6-foot-10 big man last played on Jan. 28 due to the injury.

The Mavericks were hopeful Davis would recover in time to play against the Celtics, the team that beat the Doncic-led Mavericks in last season’s NBA Finals.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd said he was optimistic Davis will play Saturday against the visiting Houston Rockets.

The 31-year-old Davis has put up averages of 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 blocks across 42 games (all starts) during the 2024-25 campaign. He is a 10-time All-Star (including this season), five-time All-NBA selection and five-time All-Defensive Team selection.