NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis 'In Contention' to Return from Injury for Mavs vs. Knicks

Anthony Davis could be back on the floor soon after missing more than a month of action due to an adductor strain he suffered in his Dallas Mavericks debut on Feb. 8.

Per NBA insider Marc Stein, Davis is "in contention" to make his return by Tuesday when Dallas takes on the New York Knicks on the road. According to Stein, Davis is listed as doubtful for Monday's matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

Stein reported earlier this week that Davis was "in increasingly strong contention" to play at some point during the Mavs' upcoming road stretch. After Monday and Tuesday's games against the Nets and Knicks, Dallas will stay on the road through Saturday with contests against the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls along the way.

Davis had an outstanding debut for the Mavericks with 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks against the Houston Rockets, but he also went down with an injury and has since missed a month and a half of basketball.

Dallas recently assigned Davis to the Texas Legends in the G League for him to continue rehabbing.

In Davis' absence, the Mavs have gone from playoff contenders to fringe play-in tournament contenders due to a plethora of injuries. Star point guard Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending torn ACL earlier this month. Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford and other key players have also dealt with ailments.

Amid all the injuries, Dallas has plummeted to 11th place in the Western Conference at 34-37 as its playoffs hopes continue to dwindle.

Considering the Mavs standings in the West and the fact that they're not much of a championship contender without Irving, there were talks of shutting Davis down for the year, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, "but the superstar has been steadfast in his determination to return."

Davis may not be able to will the Mavericks to the playoffs, but he could at least close out the year on the court rather than watching from the bench.