Dallas Mavs Star Kyrie Irving 'In Great Spirits' Following Scary Leg Injury, Will Undergo MRI Saturday
Although the Dallas Mavericks were able to pull out a 125-112 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night – winning consecutive games for the first time in nearly a month – a dark cloud hovered over the team, as star point guard Kyrie Irving left the game in the second quarter after enduring a scary leg/foot injury.
After driving to the basket, Irving was fouled and fell to the floor. Before the whistle blew, though, Mavs backup center Dwight Powell reached over Irving in an attempt to get an offensive rebound tip-out. Powell's feet were taken out from under him, and he landed directly on Irving's leg with all his weight.
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There was some confusion about Irving's status, as the Blazers' broadcast recklessly mentioned that he might have left the arena in a wheelchair. That was far from the truth, though, as Mavs Sixth Man of the Year candidate Tim Hardaway Jr. said Irving was waiting for his teammates in the locker room immediately following the game.
"He was right there waiting at the door [of the locker room] when we came in," Hardaway said. "He was good. Great spirits. Just happy that he’s OK. When we all got to the locker room and saw on social media how it looked, the pictures, obviously it didn’t look too good. … Hopefully he won’t be out long.”
We should find out more about Irving's status on Saturday, as the Mavs are set to fly to Memphis ahead of Monday's game against the Grizzlies. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Irving is expected to undergo an MRI exam to determine the severity of the injury.
Irving finished with 11 points on 4-6 shooting in just 13 minutes before having to leave the game against Portland. Dante Exum, who has made his NBA return this season after playing oversees for the two previous years, filled in nicely in Irving's absence, putting up 23 points, six rebounds and seven assists while shooting 9-15 overall and 2-2 from deep in 33 minutes – all while playing some consistently-physical defense.
Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for more updates on Irving's injury status throughout the weekend.
