DALLAS _ One hour before tipoff, the Mavericks announced via an 11-word email that first-round pick Dennis Smith Jr. would not play against Sacramento due to a left knee effusion.
After figuring out that effusion means "swelling due to fluid accumulation around the joint," reporters and fans realized the immediate impact was there would be no Smith-De'Aaron Fox rookie point guard duel at American Airlines Center Friday night, then wondered about potential long-term ramifications.
Foremost: How serious is Smith's injury?
Secondly: How might Smith's absence, however long it is, affect the Mavericks' chances of avoiding last season's disastrous 0-5 start that began their plummet into an insurmountable 4-17 hole.
Without Smith, the Mavericks lost to Sacramento, 93-88, to fall to 0-2, despite 24 points from Harrison Barnes.
Trailing 71-60 after three quarters, Dallas scored the first 12 points of the fourth period and traded baskets until the Kings pulled in front for good with three minutes left.
And after getting outrebounded 50-41 by Atlanta in the opener, the Mavericks got hammered even harder on the boards, this time by a 57-36 margin.
So much for the fact the Mavericks played the season's first two games at home, and their hopes of using that as a springboard to a strong start.
Now the prospects of an 0-4 start loom, with a game Saturday at Houston followed by a Monday home game against defending NBA champion Golden State.
Moreover, Friday's game began a stretch of six games in nine days, including back-to- back away-and-home games against Memphis.
Fans at AAC Friday night no doubt were looking forward to the matchup of No. 5 pick Fox and No. 9 choice Smith, especially after Smith's dynamic 16-point, 10-assist performance in Dallas' season-opening home loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.
Smith left the court during the second quarter that night, wincing and slightly limping in route to the locker room, but returned to the game with 1:02 left in the half and finished the game with no visible difficulty.
Nor did he have even a trace of a limp afterward in the locker room.
The effusion is in the same knee in which Smith suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in an AAU game on Aug. 2, 2015, the summer before his senior year at Trinity Christian High School in Fayetteville, N.C.
He had surgery on Aug. 10, 2015 and had to sit out his senior season at Trinity Christian, but his recovery was much quicker than the original projected 6-to- 9-month timetable.
During an interview with The News this past June in Fayetteville, Smith proudly recalled that, against doctor's orders, he dunked "four or five weeks" after his surgery.
Smith's father, Dennis Sr., told The News that doctors attributed Junior's quick recovery to the fact he was born with an extra ligament in the knee.
"Twenty percent of the world has it, and you can only find it during surgery," Smith Sr. said. "That's what the doctor told us. They said (NFL running back) Adrian Peterson has it, too. That's why he came back from his ACL tear so quickly.
"The doctor said that helped with the healing process."
Other than the pregame 11-word announcement about Smith's injury, the Mavericks offered no details before or during Friday's game.
On his weekly radio show on ESPN's DAC show, Carlisle said of Smith-Fox: "It's a great matchup of dynamic young point guards ... . a matchup that'll take place for years to come."
And during his 5:45 p.m. pregame interview with reporters at AAC, Carlisle said: "They're both terrific young players. Fox is from Texas so I'm sure this game will have a little extra meaning. We were big fans of his in the draft, along with Dennis. Hey, it's an intriguing matchup and I can understand why people are talking about it."
Then, about 45 minutes later, came the email announcing Smith was out.
Fox finished with nine points, 10 assists and six rebounds. The Kings were led by George Hill's 21 points.
