Jefferson joins Parsons and Rondo on the injured list

DALLAS – Richard Jefferson’s name was added to the list of Dallas Mavericks walking wounded.

Jefferson missed Monday’s practice with a jammed toe. Chandler Parsons (swollen right knee) and Rajon Rondo (hyper-extended left knee) also sat out Monday’s practice.

The injuries prevented the Mavs from being able to cover everything on the court in practice, since two starters and one of their top reserves were on the mend.

"Any time you miss anybody, we’re missing one of the tools in the toolbox, and these guys are all important,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said. "We’ll absorb it the best that we can.

"It hurts today not to have these guys for practice, but then again, it’s important to use this time to get them healed and try to get them ready for Wednesday. That’s where we are.’’

The Mavs (46-31) have lost 11 of their last 18 games and will host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. At this point with five regular season games left for the Mavs, getting healthy is more important than getting wins.

"We need to get back in the win column after dropping a couple of tough ones,’’ Carlisle said. "We’ve got to follow the process to put ourselves in a position to do that.

"Part of the process is the healing of guys that are injured, and part of it is to continue to work to get better as a team with the guys that are available. Big picture-wise, health is of the utmost importance.’’

The Mavs will likely enter the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. How far they advance in the postseason could hinge on how healthy they are.

That’s why with so much at stake big picture-wise, the Mavs won’t rush their injured players back on the court to try and win a few games that won’t matter in the ling run.

"We’ve got 10 days or so or whatever it is until we’re looking right at the playoffs,’’ Carlisle said. "We’re not going to take any unnecessary risks with any of these guys.

"Each day, everybody has gotten a little bit better. In some cases some guys have gotten significantly better. Wednesday is still a day and a half away.’’

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 7:08 PM with the headline "Jefferson joins Parsons and Rondo on the injured list."