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Mavericks’ Deron Williams May Be ‘Done For The Year,’ According To Coach Rick Carlisle

By Trisha Faulkner
Published on: 10:29 PST, Apr 24, 2016

Mavericks Deron Williams will likely not play again this season.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Deron Williams missed out on playing in Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday due to a sports hernia and an abdominal strain. Williams, however, was in the starting lineup for the Mavericks in the fourth game. Due to his injuries, he, unfortunately, did not last more than 90 seconds in the Saturday game. With 10:30 remaining in the first quarter of the game, Deron Williams left the court and did not come back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q1eF03uxT8

According to CBS Sports News, Deron Williams aggravated his abdominal strain after he recovered a loose ball.

“I think he’s done for the year. I don’t expect him to play in Game 5.”

After the Mavericks lost to the Thunder, their coach, Rick Carlisle, said he did not think Deron Williams would be playing anymore. He also went on to say that he was sure Williams wouldn’t play in Game 5.

According to ESPN’s website, it is likely the abdominal strain and sports hernia will require Williams to have off-season surgery.

Losing Williams is unfortunate for the Mavericks as he had a very hot start in Game 2 where he scored 11 points during the first five minutes of the game. Those 11 points were critical to the one and only win the Mavericks have had this post season. Deron Williams ended up leaving halfway through the third quarter of Game 2. It was obvious he was in excruciating pain at the time.

Due to his injury, Williams has missed eight games late in the season. He had returned to the team just after J.J. Barea suffered a strained groin. It was his 23-point and six-assist performance that helped the Mavericks seal a playoff berth against the Utah Jazz.

Deron Williams, who has an average of 5.8-assists and 14.1 points per game this season, does have the option of opting out of the second year of the contract he signed with the Mavericks last summer in order to take time to recover.

Reuters reported that Kevin Durant’s actions overshadowed the fact that the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Mavericks and that Deron Williams left the game due to his injury. Unlike Deron Williams, who had to leave the game because he was injured, Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder was ejected from the game for a flagrant 2 foul with less than a minute left. This ejection forced Kevin Durant to watch the rest of his team celebrate the 119-108 win against the Dallas Mavericks from the locker room.

The foul was issued when Durant appeared to try to block a shot by the Mavericks guard Justin Anderson. Instead of just trying to block the shot, his violent swipe struck the rookie player in the head instead of hitting the ball. After officials reviewed the play, Durant was ejected from the game. He could also be subject to suspension. Reuters also reported that Durant sent the rookie a text message apologizing and claiming the violent swipe was not intentional.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation because I don’t think his intention was to have a flagrant foul. His intention was to make a play on the ball.”

Billy Donovan, the Thunder’s coach, did not feel as though Durant meant to be aggressive. He felt sympathetic towards the player as he had never been ejected from a game before. The coach honestly believed the player was just going for the ball and did not mean to strike the rookie.

Between Deron Williams leaving the game due to his injury and the flagrant 2 foul, this was certainly an eventful game for sports fans. Will Deron Williams be able to return this season or is his game over until he has surgery and recovers from his injury? And – will he be able to return when he recovers?

[Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images]

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