The Dallas Mavericks are paying a hefty injury price this season. Luka Doncic missed games throughout the season before getting sidelined with a calf injury till the end of January. Now, Kyrie Irving joins his superstar teammate in rehab as Shams Charania has revealed that Irving will miss 1-2 weeks with a bulging disc in his back
“Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has a bulging disc in his back and is expected to miss at least 1 to 2 weeks, sources tell me and Tim MacMahon. There is optimism that treatment over the coming days will provide a return to play target date.”
The Mavericks are officially calling it a lumbar strain, but a bulging disc in the back is worrying. It could worsen and sideline him for longer, but the Mavericks will hope Irving can return as soon as possible as they continue dropping games without him.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd spoke about Irving’s injury before the game, essentially postponing his official comments until he has more information.
“He’s out. There’s nothing I can speculate or comment on. As you know, it’s reported that he’s out for a week or two. Give me 48 hours to get that answer for you. I don’t know how. I can give you that answer. I don’t know how.”
Since Doncic’s injury on Christmas Day, the Mavericks have lost six straight games and dropped to a tie for No. 6 in the West standings. Irving has missed three games in this stretch with an illness and minor injuries, but this setback will guarantee his absence for the next 5-6 games.
The Mavericks are winless without Luka and Kyrie this season. The franchise is 7-3 when Kyrie plays and Luka doesn’t, showing they could’ve remained competitive over Luka’s injury absence if Kyrie was playing games regularly. With both out, the Mavericks don’t have a consistent scoring option to carry the team to wins.
Kyrie is averaging 24.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists this season. He’s been having an All-Star-caliber season but will likely lose steam in contention with this poorly-timed injury. The Mavericks need to return to winning basketball without their stars, or they might be entirely reliant on another late-season push just to secure a Playoff spot in the top six.
They lost to the 104-119 to the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, another team missing multiple stars. The Mavericks unfortunately also lost Daniel Gafford to a sprained ankle during this game, compounding their injury woes.
While the Grizzlies are better off in their current state than the Mavs without both Luka and Kyrie, these uncompetitive losses are concerning fans. Jason Kidd needs to come up with an answer, albeit short-term, to ensure Dallas doesn’t fall into the Play-In Tournament.
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