Kyrie Irving gets injury status upgrade for Mavericks' Nuggets rematch
01/13/2025 02:52 PM
DALLAS — Kyrie Irving has been dealing with a lumbar back sprain, something that forced him to miss the Dallas Mavericks’ game on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets. The Mavs were ultimately defeated 112-101 by the Nuggets, but Dallas and Denver will play once again on Tuesday. Irving is trending toward a potential return, as the Mavs star has been upgraded to questionable after fully participating in practice on Monday, head coach Jason Kidd told reporters.
Kidd also confirmed that Luka Doncic (calf) and Dante Exum (wrist) will not play on Tuesday. The door is open for a possible Irving return, though.
“You look at the quarterback aspect, you look at the leadership, you look at his ability to score, just his presence,” Kidd said of what the Mavs have missed without Irving. “Hopefully we get that back soon.”
Mavericks hoping Kyrie Irving will return vs. Nuggets
Kyrie Irving, who has been out with an injury, shooting free throws today after practice.#MFFLpic.twitter.com/hTO0IvddVL
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) January 13, 2025
However, the Mavericks head coach is proud of the way his team has fought without Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic over the past couple of weeks.
“It’s been great, they’ve been playing at a high level,” Kidd said. “The energy and effort has been there… We would like to win all the games but we can learn from our wins and losses. I think the group has done an incredible job with those two out.”
Irving will be listed as questionable on Tuesday before the Mavericks make a final decision before tip-off. The situation will be worth closely monitoring. Dallas could use a big bounce back victory against the Nuggets following Sunday’s defeat. The added star-power would be important as the Mavs try to contain Nikola Jokic.
Dallas will enter Tuesday’s game with a 22-17 record and they are in fifth place in the Western Conference. Denver, meanwhile, is 23-15 and in fourth place in the conference. In other words, the game will likely be competitive, especially if Kyrie Irving is able to return.
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