LOS ANGELES _ Dennis Smith Jr. likely will miss the rest of the Mavericks' road trip that continues Thursday night against the Clippers, coach Rick Carlisle said.
"I'm not ruling (him) out for playing on this trip, but at this point I feel it is unlikely he will play in these three games," Carlisle said.
Smith, who has been fighting a sprained right wrist, said after the Mavericks' morning shootaround that he wants to make sure he's healthy before he returns.
"I'm young," he said. "I just got to be smart about letting it heal."
Smith, who injured the wrist against Memphis on Nov. 19, has missed six of the last seven games after aggravating the wrist when he fell to the floor.
He said it doesn't make sense to keep re-injuring the wrist. He also said that a cortisone shot is not in his best interest at the moment.
"It might help the pain, but the problem would still be there," he said.
Smith will continue to get therapy on the wrist during the road trip, which continues Saturday at Golden State and ends on Sunday at Portland.
The next home game is Dec. 26 against New Orleans.
