Dallas Mavericks are rising the ranks in the Western Conference. Currently, they rank second overall and have a 5-1 winning lead. As part of their back-to-back games, Dallas is set to face off against the Orlando Magic at 7:00 p.m. ET on Monday. Luka?s right-hand, Kyrie Irving, has been out for two games due to a sprained left foot that he suffered against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 27. Kyrie returned against Denver in the NBA In-season opener.?
In his contribution to the Mavs, he has been averaging 19.5 points, 6 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. The Mavs have won all four games without Kyrie Irving while leading the southwest division.?
Is Kyrie playing against the Magic?
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Against his former team, the Nets, he played for 34 points, finishing with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists ended with a sustained injury. That led to him missing out on wins by Dallas over the Grizzlies on Oct. 30 and against the Bulls on Nov 1.?
Head coach Jason Kidd expressed hope but Irving?s status was ?day to day?. Given his importance in the team for a long grueling season, the Mavs want to be careful to risk anything that could sideline him indefinitely. At the time of writing this, there is no official information out yet on whether Kyrie will play this back-to-back game.?
The Mavs are the only team that hasn?t updated the injury report yet. Although it is likely that he will play, given that he played for 34 minutes in the Hornets win making a double-double, 18 points, and 10 assists. German power forward Maxi Klever is out of the game due to a toe injury.
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Mavericks are doing exceptionally well compared to the last season?
The only match Dallas has lost is against the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets. They are currently placed 2nd overall, trailing behind the Nuggets.?
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The Mavericks? performance this season is a significant improvement over the previous season, where they finished 11th in the NBA Western Conference with a record of 38-44. Their offensive rating this season is 120.7, ranking 2nd of 30. Defensively, they need to improve, currently rated at 115.7, ranking 23rd of 30.
Star player Luka Docic is delivering his MVP-level performance, averaging 33.8 points per game which ranks him first in the league. As a playmaker, he is ranked 3rd for now, averaging 9.4 assists.?
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