DALLAS -- Injuries have been the hot topic surrounding the Dallas Mavericks this week, who find themselves down 0-2 in their first-round playoff series for the Houston Rockets, but on Thursday afternoon after practice Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle offered up some good news on backup point guard Devin Harris, who missed Game 2 on Tuesday due to a left toe issue.
"He practiced. Things are looking positive for tomorrow (Friday). We'll know more in the morning but so far so good," Carlisle said.
The Mavericks host the Rockets in Game 3 on Friday night at American Airlines Center.
Harris being likely ready to go is good news for a Dallas team that will be without starting point guard Rajon Rondo, ruled out earlier this week indefinitely with a back injury.
"We'll see how it responds tomorrow, but I expect to play," Harris said.
Carlisle is definitely pleased about the very real possibility of having Harris, a key contributor off the Mavs bench during the regular season, available for Friday.
"We need him back. He's one of our key guys," Carlisle said.
As for Harris' left toe, which was black and blue just several days ago, it definitely sounds like things are headed in the right direction for the seasoned veteran.
"I changed shoes completely and got another injection yesterday. Back to a normal size, what I was playing with before. It's a little more comfortable, a little more sturdy," Harris said on Thursday.
With Rondo unavailable, Carlisle will need his full rotation of point guards, a group also including J.J. Barea and Raymond Felton, for Dallas to have any chance of pulling a game back on Friday.
And having Harris looking like he's ready to go at least gives Carlisle some peace of mind heading into game day.
"Well, he was unrestricted today. The hope is that tomorrow that he won't have any restrictions either in terms of minutes or anything like that," Carlisle said. "Look, we got to get him through today, get him his treatment after practice, see where he's at in the morning. But signs are good that he'll be available and so we'll go from there. We'll see where things are tomorrow but we're optimistic."
