Mavs at Jazz Preview: No Kyrie Irving, No Luka Doncic - Roster Update After Trade, Injuries
In a shocking turn of events, the Dallas Mavericks traded core role players for Kyrie Irving on Sunday. ... but now must play on.
While already without Luka Doncic and Christian Wood due to injury, the Dallas Mavericks will also miss Irving as he awaits his physical. Monday night vs. the Utah Jazz has blowout potential.
UPDATE: Wood was upgraded to “questionable” for Monday’s game.
The last time the Mavs played the Jazz, former Mavs guard Spencer Dinwiddie – who was shipped to Brooklyn in the Irving trade along with Dorian Finney-Smith – produced 35 points in a 108-100 loss. However, as the Mavs deal with injuries and missing players due to the risky trade, the roster resembles a skeleton.
Without Finney-Smith as the Mavs' de facto best defender on the roster, Josh Green and Reggie Bullock must step up to the plate. For a team already nosediving on defense, it's difficult to imagine such a bare-boned roster finding a victory vs. a surging Jazz squad.
Reinforcements are on the horizon, though, as Irving is scheduled to make his Maverick debut on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Doncic could be back by then, and Wood is nearing a return, too ... assuming he isn't included in a trade as well.
With Utah posting a 7-4 record in its last 11 games, the league's most surprising team continues to make waves despite the unfavorable odds heading into the 2022-23 season.
Mavs promising rookie Jaden Hardy provides one good reason to watch this contest from a Mavs fan's perspective. Without a single ball-handling option on the shorthanded roster, the 2022 second-round pick has the keys to the rental as Dallas awaits its reinforcements.
With no reason for Jason Kidd to restrain the hungry 20-year-old guard, perhaps Hardy and Green attempt career-highs in shot attempts. While such a scenario probably doesn't translate to a victory for Dallas, it could provide much-needed experience for a couple of young players who need to keep growing.
FUN FACT: Despite what you might think about Irving, he's an All-Star and an All-NBA talent when healthy and focused. He was voted in as an All-Star starter this season and will join Doncic in Salt Lake City for the star-studded weekend. Doncic hasn't played with such a player in his young NBA career.
RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (28-26), Utah Jazz (27-27)
WHEN: Monday, February 6, 2023 - 8:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Vivint Arena (Salt Lake City, UT
TV: Bally Sports Southwest, League Pass
RADIO: 97.1 The Freak
ODDS: The Utah Jazz are favored by nine points over the Dallas Mavericks.
NEXT UP: The Mavericks, with Irving set to make his debut, play the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. at the Crypto.com arena.
FINAL WORD: As the Mavericks made their move for Irving, it's clear they don't view this season as a throw-away. That's good. Doncic did sign off on the trade, so it's not like the Mavs just blindsided their superstar. That's also good.
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