Mavs' Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum & Seth Curry Available vs. Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY — The Dallas Mavericks are set to face the Utah Jazz on Monday night, completing the final of a three-game road trip.
The Mavs will have Kyrie Irving (right heel contusion), Luka Doncic (left quad soreness), Dante Exum (right heel contusion), and Seth Curry (illness) available to play. Exum required a workout before determining his status. Maxi Kleber (right small toe dislocation) will remain out but has progressed lately.
Irving missed his 12th consecutive game due to a right heel contusion when the Mavs achieved a 132-122 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Recently, he has continued the ramp-up process to return to competition soon.
Before the Mavs defeated the Warriors, coach Jason Kidd told reporters that Irving went through a "good workout" on Friday, hoping he would play on the road trip or at least in the early phase of the team's upcoming seven-game homestand.
“He worked out yesterday and had a good workout,” Kidd said. “Hopefully, he can play on this road trip. If not, the early part of the homestand.”
A positive sign regarding potential playing status began with Doncic, Irving, Exum, and Curry on the floor during the Mavs' morning shootaround. However, it's far from a perfect indication of playing status.
Doncic has continued to play through his quad injury since March of last year, recently confirming that it's "a little bit of a concern" as he manages it. As a result, he's recently started not playing during at least one segment of back-to-backs. He had to gauge whether he'd play using a pre-game workout in San Francisco.
"Yeah, I tried it," Doncic said. "I think at first I was really good. Then, in the third quarter, I started feeling it again. That's why I had to warm up to see how it was."
"Obviously, there's a concern because it has been since March last year, obviously there's a concern," Doncic explained.
Doncic has continued to shoulder a heavy share of offensive responsibility while playing more minutes. At the same time, Irving was sidelined, and Doncic averaged 39.4 minutes per game, which led the NBA during that span.
Check back with DallasBasketball.com for the latest on the Mavs' injuries before Monday's matchup against the Jazz and throughout the season.
