Kyrie Irving Trending Toward Return to Mavericks' Lineup, Fully Practices on Monday
After missing five games due to illness and a lumbar back sprain, Kyrie Irving’s outlook to return to the Dallas Mavericks lineup has improved ahead of Tuesday’s rematch with the Denver Nuggets.
After fully participating in Monday’s practice, Irving will be upgraded to questionable on the upcoming injury report. The rest will remain the same, with Luka Dončić (left calf strain) and Danté Exum (right wrist surgery) being ruled out.
Head coach Jason Kidd told reporters that Irving “looked good” in Monday’s practice.
“He did really well, looked good. He did the whole practice,” Kidd said.
Irving has provided the Mavericks with a strong season, averaging 24.3 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in 30 games. He’s shooting 49.0% from the floor, 44.1% from beyond the arc, and 89.9% from the free throw line.
When reflecting on what the Mavericks miss without Irving, Kidd emphasized Irving’s ability to set the tone for the offense. Whether commanding heavy defensive attention on or off the ball, he opens up the game for the rest of his teammates while being a talented scorer and passer.
“You look at the quarterback aspect, you look at the leadership, you look at his ability to score—just his presence,” Kidd said. “His gravity, a lot of times, denials, or two on the ball while he has it, so we definitely miss that. And hopefully we get that back soon.”
Irving has been instrumental in guiding the Mavericks to a 7-3 record in 10 games played without Dončić, including road victories against the Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, and Phoenix Suns. Overall, he’s averaged 25.1 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.8 rebounds when playing the top option role in Dončić’s absence, providing a helpful presence to guide the team.
The Mavericks remain eager to regain Irving and Dončić in the lineup whenever possible. Kidd strongly encouraged the current group to continue to be aggressive whenever Irving is the first to return to the lineup. Dallas enters Tuesday’s game with a 22-17 record, ranked fifth in the Western Conference after losing to the Nuggets in the first of two matchups this week. If Irving can provide a boost, the Mavericks will have avoided significant damage to their seeding outlook.
“There’s always an adjustment when a key piece comes back,” Kidd said. “Sometimes you relax. Sometimes, you wait. But for us, it’s got to be continuing to push forward. Kai will join the party. When Luka (Dončić) gets healthy, he’ll join. Those guys are special. They understand how to play the game at a high level.
“So we got to keep pushing our role players to keep that standard high, and that’s what they’re doing right now,” Kidd continued. “We can’t take a step back. We don’t have any room to do that.”
The Mavericks tip off against the Nuggets at 8:30 p.m. CST on Tuesday at American Airlines Center. This will begin a back-to-back that ends against the New Orleans Pelicans.
