The Dallas Mavericks took a tough 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings, but honestly, the scoreboard was the least of their problems. The real gut punch of the night? Kyrie Irving going down.

It happened early in the first quarter—Irving made a move toward the basket, ran into DeMar DeRozan, and landed awkwardly. You could tell right away something wasn’t right. He grabbed at his left knee, wincing in pain. The whole arena held its breath. He got up, knocked down two free throws, but that was it—he was done for the night. And now? It’s official. The Mavericks are calling it a left knee sprain.

That’s the last thing this team needed right now. They were already barely holding things together with a laundry list of injuries. Anthony Davis? Still out with an adductor strain. Jaden Hardy? Tweaked his ankle in the third quarter. Daniel Gafford and Derrick Lively? Also unavailable.

The Mavericks aren’t just short-handed; they’re running on fumes!

After the game, head coach Jason Kidd didn’t sugarcoat it. He sounded frustrated, exhausted. “You know, I hope that he’s healthy, it’s not serious,” Kidd said about Kyrie. Then he got real: “Guys are trying to hold it together to get, you know, other bodies back, and it just seems like every time we’re getting close to getting someone back, someone goes down.“

And that’s the mood in the locker room right now. Seeing Kyrie go down sucked the energy out of the team. Kidd put it perfectly: “I think everybody seeing Ky in the locker room probably took some wind out of their sails. Their leader, you know, laying there.”

Still, he’s not letting them use it as an excuse. “We’re going to continue to keep developing and no matter who’s in the jersey, we’re going to go out there to try to find a way to win.“

The best we can do is pray it is not an ACL tear. According to Dr. Evan Jeffries, the best-case scenario could be a Hyperextension or bone bruise. According to Cleveland Clinic, a hyperextension could take a few weeks to heal. Do the Mavs have that much time?

Kings Take Advantage of Short-Handed Mavericks

The Kings smelled blood, and they didn’t waste any time taking advantage. Even before Kyrie went out, Sacramento was rolling. Zach LaVine was lights out, dropping 22 points on a ridiculous 66.7% shooting. DeRozan was doing what he does, finishing with 20. Keegan Murray? Deadly from deep—he hit four threes and ended up with 18. Jonas Valanciunas bullied the Mavs inside, putting up 14 points and nine rebounds in Sabonis’ absence.

By halftime, the Kings were up 60-50, but it was the third quarter that turned this into a blowout. Sacramento went on a tear, outscoring Dallas 34-16, and just like that, the game was over. The Kings were surgical, shooting 52.2% from the field and nearly 50% from three.

The Mavs? They had a few bright spots. Kai Jones led the team with 21 points off the bench, but Spencer Dinwiddie had a rough night, going just 2-for-12 from the field. Klay Thompson? Almost invisible—three points in 24 minutes.

The timing of this tragedy couldn’t be worse. The Western Conference playoff race is heating up, and the Mavericks can’t afford to fall behind. They’ve got a brutal schedule ahead, and without Kyrie Irving running the show, staying competitive is going to be a grind.

For now, all eyes are on Kyrie Irving’s recovery. How quickly he gets back could make or break the Mavericks’ season.