The Dallas Mavericks will take on the Milwaukee Bucks tonight. It will be a tough matchup for Luka Doncic and Co. as they face the superstar duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The Mavs are coming off a humiliating blowout loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the last game. While Luka Doncic will return tonight after missing Wednesday’s game, his co-star Kyrie Irving will remain out of the lineup.
According to the latest Mavs injury report, Kyrie has been ruled out of tonight’s game due to a sprained right thumb. Tonight’s game will be the 6th straight game Kyrie has missed because of the injury. Even though Uncle Drew will remain out of action for the Bucks game, the Mavs fans had something to cheer about in his recent update. Head coach Jason Kidd revealed that Kyrie is on his way to a complete recovery and had two good days of practice this week. Irving will hopefully return to action in the next game against the Philadelphia 76ers as the Mavs begin their 3-game road trip on Monday.
Jason Kidd says Kyrie Irving had “two good days of practice” and “hopefully he’ll be available” on the road trip that starts Monday in Philadelphia. This will be the sixth game Irving has missed due to his sprained right thumb.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 3, 2024
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Kyrie started this season in incredible form. After last season’s humiliating start to his Mavs career, Kyrie finally found his rhythm with co-star Luka Doncic this season. The Mavs superstar duo dominated the league early in the season. Unfortunately, multiple injuries throughout the season have halted Kyrie’s momentum. He has played in only 27 of the 48 Mavs games so far. Kyrie continues to play great whenever he is healthy and available. He has averaged 25.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in the 27 games played this season.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Mavericks need Kyrie Irving back to be legitimate contenders
Even though Luka Doncic has kept the Mavericks afloat in Kyrie’s absence, they need Kyrie healthy to make an impact in the post-season. Luka has been a scoring machine all year, averaging 34.7 points, 9.6 assists, and 8.6 rebounds. But there have been many games where the lack of another closer on the team has cost Luka Doncic and Co. the game. With no other threat on the floor, Luka gets double-teamed constantly during clutch situations. That could pose an even bigger problem during the playoffs when the offense slows down, and the defense gets tighter.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The return of Kyrie to the lineup could solve that problem for the Mavs. Kyrie is a superstar in his own right and has playoff experience. Kyrie will take some scoring load off Luka’s shoulders and open the floor for the Slovenian sensation. Opponents cannot double-team Luka when an offensive threat like Kyrie is on the floor with him. The Mavs fans hope Kyrie will successfully return on Monday and stay healthy for the remainder of the season.
Watch This Story: Luka Doncic Jestingly Gives a Worrying Health Update After Nuggets Heartbreak