The Dallas Mavericks will be without Kyrie Irving for Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, as he has been ruled out with right shoulder soreness. This leaves the Mavericks without their top two scorers, as Luka Dončić remains sidelined with a left calf strain.
Klay Thompson will naturally become an even more critical element of the Mavericks’ offense. The team will leverage his motion-shooting talent but likely need more from him off the dribble. With Irving out, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy will take on more prominent roles in the backcourt. Dinwiddie contributed 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in Portland, while Hardy added 11 points.
Other Dallas Mavericks Injury Updates
Dereck Lively II remains questionable after missing the last two games with a left hip contusion. He has been working with the training staff since the team played in Portland, including at Golden 1 Center on Monday. His presence would provide much-needed rim protection and rebounding.
P.J. Washington returns from his one-game suspension, while Naji Marshall remains out for three more games. The Mavericks will remain without Dončić, who will be re-evaluated within a month. Dante Exum is progressing from wrist surgery but remains sidelined without a clear timetable for a return to game action.
Managing Kyrie Irving’s Workload
Irving’s absence comes after he logged 79 minutes over back-to-back games to start the road trip, including a 46-point effort against the Portland Trail Blazers. This will be Irving’s fourth game missed due to injury this season, with each absence related to a right shoulder injury. He first missed a game on November 14 due to a right shoulder strain. He then missed two games in December, weeks apart, due to right shoulder soreness. It appears to be
After Friday’s 98-89 win over the Phoenix Suns, Irving, averaging 24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on the season, emphasized the importance of winning every game and expressed his commitment to playing the following night in Portland.
“For sure, bro. We can’t drop any games,” Irving said. “This part of the season is where teams start to separate or fall behind.”
After losing against the Trail Blazers, Irving emphasized the need for the Mavericks to stay together and “weather the storm.” However, they will have to attempt to do so without him in the lineup in Sacramento—against an opponent highly motivated to snap a six-game losing streak.
“It’s an important stretch,” Irving said. “We have to stay together and weather the storm. The season is long, and this is just part of it. We’ll learn from this and keep pushing forward.”
However, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd acknowledged the need to manage Irving’s workload carefully.
“The big picture is always in focus,” Kidd said. “Running Kai up over 40 minutes, that puts us in a different situation. We have to lean on our leader here to help us, but that doesn’t mean running his minutes up to 40, 42 minutes as the final way to win.”
Looking Ahead
The Mavericks end their four-game road trip against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Irving’s status will be monitored leading up to the game.
