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

The Dallas Mavericks can't catch a break as the injury bug continues to bite the franchise. The hits kept on coming on Monday night as Mavericks star Kyrie Irving suffered a left knee sprain late in the first quarter during the game against the Sacramento Kings.

Irving remained in the contest to shoot two free throws but ended up departing for the locker room. He was quickly ruled out by the team as bad goes to worse in Dallas. Irving has been on a tear as of late, scoring 25+ points in six of his nine appearances since the Luka Doncic trade to Los Angeles at the beginning of February.

Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic — Feb 25, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts with Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Irving and Doncic got an opportunity to reunite on the court last week as the Lakers took down the Mavericks, 107-99. Irving poured in 35 points while Doncic put up a triple-double as the two former teammates showed plenty of respect to one another before and after the contest.

Shortly after Irving was injured, Doncic shared his reaction to the news on Instagram. It's clear that Doncic is hoping for the best as the extent of Irving's injury becomes more clear.

Irving has carried the load for the majority of the season, having to pick up even more slack with Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively III all out with injuries. Plus, Jaden Hardy went down in the same game as Irving and his status is now uncertain.

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

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.

As for the Mavericks, there aren't many places to turn if Irving ends up on the sideline for an extended duration of time. Dallas will have to lean on Max Christie, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Dante Exum to run the offense and open up the floor for everyone else.

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024-25 Season

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter

More Dallas Mavericks News

Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis headline injury report for Mavericks-Kings

Former Mavericks forward could play for Lakers before season's end

Jason Kidd provides injury update on Mavericks forward

Mavericks must get healthy before season ends