Shorthanded Mavericks Look to Overcome Dončić and Irving Absences vs. Kings

The Dallas Mavericks face the Sacramento Kings on Monday night without their top two scorers. Kyrie Irving has been ruled out with right shoulder soreness, and Luka Dončić continues to recover from a left calf strain. Without their usual starpower, the Mavs will face a tall task to bounce back from Saturday’s 126-122 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Dallas enters the matchup having won 15 of its last 20 games, but it will need to rely heavily on Klay Thompson and the rest of the backcourt rotation, including Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy, to carry the offensive load. 

The Mavericks played one game this season without Dončić and Irving in the lineup, ending in a 118-95 loss against the LA Clippers on December 19. Thompson, averaging 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists this season, delivered a team-high 22 points against the Clippers, stepping up without either member of his star-studded backcourt. The team received five total double-figure scoring performances that night. However, it wasn’t nearly enough to get the job done.

“Offensively, we struggled, and defensively actually, so not very well,” Thompson said after the loss against the Clippers. “It was the first time playing without both our guys. I’m sure it won’t be the last, and we’ll be ready the next time it happens. It’s a completely different style of play, obviously.”

Managing Kyrie Irving’s Workload

Irving, averaging 24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, had been the clear go-to option in Dončić’s absence. He scored 46 points against the Portland Trail Blazers to nearly overcome a 21-point deficit. He logged 79 minutes over the back-to-back games against Phoenix and Portland. As previously addressed, head coach Jason Kidd emphasized managing Irving’s workload.

“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.”

After the 98-89 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday, Irving reflected on the importance of staying available and grinding through games during critical stretches of the season. “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.”

Following Saturday’s loss in Portland, Irving addressed the need for the team to stay together during difficult stretches. “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.”

Dallas Mavericks Injury Updates and Adjusting Strategy

Building momentum will be challenging without Irving. Dinwiddie, who scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and had four assists in Portland, will take on more responsibility. Hardy, who added 11 points in the loss, is expected to play a larger role. Jazian Gortman, who played limited minutes, may also see more action.

On the wing, Quentin Grimes, coming off a 15-point performance, will be leaned on more offensively, too. He tends to handle the ball more and is utilized as a focus for off-ball actions when the team needs more firepower amid injuries.

“We have more than enough to get the job done,” Grimes said. “We have a really deep team. Everybody knows we can’t substitute one guy for Luka. He’s a megastar.”

“(It’s about) knowing we are going to be without Luka for about a month or whatever the case may be, so just come together,” Grimes added. “Not one guy coming in, but doing it collectively. Play Mavs’ basketball.”

The Mavericks’ bigs will naturally play an important role. Daniel Gafford leads the NBA in field goal percentage (72.2%) and had 15 points and nine rebounds against Portland. If Dereck Lively II, who remains questionable with a left hip contusion, cannot play, the Mavericks must rely more on Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber. Regardless, rim protection will be necessary for a bounce-back game defensively, making Lively’s status pivotal to watch.

While Lively’s status for Monday’s game remains unclear, he worked with the training staff at Golden 1 Center, signaling potential progress. While he was dressed in street clothes in Phoenix, he also worked with the training staff in Portland. His return would provide much-needed rim protection and rebounding, whether in Sacramento or against Houston on Wednesday night.

P.J. Washington returns from a one-game suspension, while Naji Marshall will miss three more games since he was suspended for four games total. The Mavericks usually can rely on Marshall to become a more prominent scoring option without one of their top scorers available. However, Washington will need to do so. He’s averaged 16.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in nine games without Dončić this season.

Dončić’s re-evaluation is expected to occur within a month, and Dante Exum remains sidelined, recovering from wrist surgery, without a clear timetable for a return.

Sacramento Kings Searching for Answers Amid Losing Streak

The Kings enter the contest amid a six-game losing streak, their worst of the season. Five of those losses came under former head coach Mike Brown, who was dismissed following a 114-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

Brown was let go after a practice session, just before the Kings left for their game against the Lakers. Doug Christie stepped in as interim head coach but suffered a 132-122 loss to Los Angeles in his debut.

“We’ve been through a lot this past week,” Christie said. “But our focus now is on the task ahead. We know what Dallas brings to the table, and we need to match their intensity from the opening tip.”

Sacramento’s struggles continue despite solid performances from De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Fox led the Kings with 29 points and 12 assists against the Lakers, while Sabonis contributed 14 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk also provided scoring support, but defensive breakdowns plagued the team late in games.

“We obviously know we haven’t been performing at our best,” Sabonis said. “As one of the leaders of the team, I got to make sure that that changes. We got to win all the games that we can.”

Fox acknowledged the growing urgency as Sacramento sits six games below .500.

“The conference continues to get better,” Fox said. “But we kind of got a little stagnant, and that is what it is. We have to find a way to get better.”

Looking Ahead

The Mavericks wrap up their four-game road trip against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Irving’s status will be crucial to monitor as Dallas looks to stay afloat in the Western Conference playoff race despite injuries to key players.