Mavs Injury Report: Are Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving Playing vs Thunder?

The Dallas Mavericks suffered a humiliating 107-89 blowout loss last night against the Detroit Pistons, who are the bottom seed. The absence of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving was a major reason for Dallas’ loss. The Mavs will now face the OKC Thunder for its final regular season game on Sunday. With Dallas clinching the 5th seed in the West, several players are on the injury report for the season finale, especially the big ones.

According to the Mavs’ latest injury report, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been ruled out of Sunday’s clash against OKC. Luka will miss his 2nd straight game because of left ankle soreness, and Kyrie will sit out due to left hamstring soreness. Apart from them, 7 others will also miss tomorrow’s game. The list includes Maxi Kleber, Dereck Lively II, Dante Exum, Daniel Gafford, Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington, and Greg Brown III. It also could be the Mavs resting their star names before the playoffs, as Sunday’s season finale is practically inconsequential.

Yesterday’s loss against the Pistons ended Dallas’ hopes of surpassing the Clippers for the 4th seed. With a 50-31 record, the Mavs are the 5th seed and will face Kawhi Leonard and Co. in the first round of the playoffs. Even if both finish with a tied record, the LA-based team will get the edge because of their 2-1 season series record against Dallas. Meanwhile, if Dallas and New Orleans finish tied, the Mavs will edge it because of their better division record. Hence, the outcome of Sunday’s game does not affect the Mavs’ final standings.

Western Conference Standings

This season’s Western Conference playoff race has been one for the ages. While the Mavericks vs. Clippers matchup is set, all the other matchups are yet to be determined and will be decided after Sunday’s finale and the play-in tournament. For the first time in NBA history, there is a 3-way tie for the No. 1 seed with just one regular season game remaining. OKC, Minnesota, and Denver are tied with a 56-25 record, and Sunday will determine the final order of the Top 3.

Meanwhile, the 6th and 7th seeds are also yet to be determined. The Pelicans are currently the 6th seed with a 49-32 record, trailed by the Phoenix Suns with a 48-33 record. If New Orleans loses their final game and the Suns win, Phoenix will lock the 6th seed because they have a 2-1 season series lead.

A similar battle is on at the bottom of the Top 10 seedings. The Lakers are currently the 8th seed with a 46-35 record. However, if they lose Sunday’s game against New Orleans and either Sacramento or Golden State win their respective games, the Lakers will fall back to the 9th or 10th seed.

So let’s brace ourselves because Sunday’s action will be full of drama and excitement, as it will be a deciding day for a lot of teams heading into the play-in tournament.