Kyrie Irving missed the Dallas Mavericks’ past five games because of a thumb injury sustained against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 22. Irving is listed as doubtful in Dallas’ injury report for Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. A final decision on his availability could be made after the morning shootaround. But going by the current information, fans shouldn’t expect him to play.
The Mavericks are eighth in the West with a 26-22 record. They lost six of the past 10 games and clearly need a spike in their performance to maintain a playoff push. While Luka Doncic has continued to do his thing and remain atop MVP conversations, he isn’t getting sufficient help to make Dallas a legit title contender.
Apart from Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks could also be without Derrick Jones Jr. (wrist, questionable), Dereck Lively II (nose, doubtful) and Maxi Kleber (nose, probable). Dante Exum is out with a knee injury.
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Kyrie Irving injury update
Irving has regularly featured in the Mavericks’ injury reports this season. He is currently listed as doubtful with a thumb injury. The former NBA champion has played in just 27 games this season, averaging 25.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
What happened to Kyrie Irving?
Irving injured his right thumb in a game against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 22. He went for a swipe on the ball while guarding Jayson Tatum. An X-ray after the game revealed a sprain that has kept him out of action ever since. This isn’t the only injury that Irving suffered this season.
Kyrie Irving missed 12 straight games between Dec. 11 and Dec. 30 after injuring his knee against the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 8. Irving scored 11 points in 13 minutes and 21 seconds before exiting the game. The former champion has already missed 21 games so far.
When the Dallas Mavericks signed Irving to a three-year, $120 million contract in the offseason, the hope was for him and Luka Doncic to guide them to the promised land. That hasn’t been the case so far, and barring any late push by the duo, it seems very unlikely for Dallas to be a title contender.
Kyrie Irving stats vs. Milwaukee Bucks
When Irving plays, there are very few who can razzle and dazzle like him. His greatness is underlined by his performance against the Bucks over the years. In 34 regular-season games, Irving averages 24.9 points, 5.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds.
These are numbers that Luka Doncic needs to help propel his team to greatness. But these will likely be just numbers for another game as Irving warms the bench with a thumb injury.
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