Dallas Basketball

Jason Kidd discusses Kyrie Irving’s 'unlucky' injury after Mavericks-Kings

Two more Mavericks went down with injuries on Monday night.

Dustin Lewis

Nov 19, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd talks with guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Nov 19, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd talks with guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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Injuries have plagued the Dallas Mavericks for basically the entirety of the 2024-25 season. The woes continued on Monday night as Kyrie Irving and Jaden Hardy both went down during the 122-98 blowout loss to the Kings.

Irving suffered what the team deemed as a sprained left knee late in the first quarter while Hardy twisted the same right ankle that's been giving him problems in the second half.

Following the Mavericks' fourth defeat in the past five games, head coach Jason Kidd met with the media where he addressed Irving's injury. Kidd called the ailment 'unlucky' as he spoke about the injuries that are piling up across the roster.

Kyrie Irving
Mar 3, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) is helped off the court by forward Naji Marshall (13) and forward Anthony Davis (3) during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

At this point, Dallas is razor-thin on depth at the most critical point of the season. After falling to the Kings, the Mavericks sit at 32-20 and No. 10 in the Western Conference, holding a 2.5-game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the final spot in the play-in.

“Just unlucky. Hope that he’s healthy and it’s not serious but just to have this season, guys are trying to hold it together, get other guys back, and it just seems every time we’re getting close to getting someone back, someone goes down," Kidd said. Tonight both Hardy and Kai go down so we're running out of bodies here but guys keep fighting."

READ MORE: Luka Doncic reacts to Kyrie Irving’s crushing injury during Mavericks-Kings

Despite clearly being in a ton of pain, Irving remained in the game to knock down two free throws before departing to the locker room. Kidd told Irving that he'd be ineligible to return if he didn't take the foul shots so the 32-year-old gutted it out.

"Kai's a tough guy," Kidd remarked.

In 49 starts, Irving has averaged 25.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals over 36.6 minutes per game. Irving is shooting over 40% from three-point range for the second consecutive campaign.

Kyrie Irving
Feb 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) controls the ball against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Mavericks now have seven members of the starting lineup or rotation who are dealing with injuries. For whatever reason, things have jumped into overdrive since the franchise traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Anthony Davis was injured in his Dallas debut while Daniel Gafford went down in the very next game. P.J. Washington reaggravated his sprained ankle over the weekend and hasn't been fully healthy in weeks. Derek Lively II is still working his way back from a stress fracture that occurred over two months ago. Caleb Martin has yet to play for the Mavericks since being traded to the franchise a few weeks ago due to a right hip sprain.

Dallas is desperate to get some bodies back in the near future. New addition Kai Jones played 34 minutes in his debut against the Kings, scoring 21 points on 9/10 shooting and adding eight rebounds and a block.

READ MORE: Jason Kidd bashes Klay Thompson after Mavericks' loss to Bucks

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Dustin Lewis
DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined BucsGameday when it was founded in 2022. He's also the Editor-In-Chief of NoleGameday. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis has worked for NG since 2016.

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