Mavs' Kyrie Irving Returns to Dallas for Injury Rehab; No Timetable for Return
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks will play Monday's matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies without eight-time NBA All-Star starter Kyrie Irving in the lineup. He was diagnosed with a right heel contusion after undergoing an MRI in Dallas on Saturday.
The Mavs traveled to Memphis following Friday's 125-112 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Meanwhile, Irving returned to Texas to begin the injury rehab process and currently faces no set timetable for a return to the lineup.
Irving suffered his painful foot injury during the second quarter of Friday's game in a play that involved Dwight Powell landing on his leg after attempting to pursue an offensive rebound. It took a while for Irving to get up, but he shot both free throws before Tim Hardaway Jr. intentionally fouled to allow Irving to exit the game and head to the locker room to be evaluated.
While the rest of the Mavs returned to the court before halftime ended, Irving stayed in the back and did so for the rest of the game. Irving finished with 11 points, two rebounds, and two assists in 13 minutes.
“I'm just happy that he’s okay,” Hardaway said. “When we got in the locker room and saw on social media how it looked the pictures obviously didn’t look too good. Hopefully we have him back soon.”
Luka Doncic, who was often the focus of aggressive defensive coverage by the Blazers, led the way for the Mavs, recording 32 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists. Dallas received a season-high 23 points from Dante Exum, along with six rebounds and seven assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. was the team's other 20-point scorer, with Derrick Jones Jr. (14 points) and Dereck Lively II (10 points) reaching double figures.
"That was scary," Hardaway said of Irving's injury. "Yeah, man. It's tough, but we got to have his back next mentality. That's what he would want. And I'm glad we came out with the victory."
Dalllas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
While false reporting from BlazersTV suggested that Irving departed from ModaCenter in a wheelchair — naturally, causing a social media stir — the superstar guard was in "great spirits" waiting to show support for his teammates in the locker room.
"He was right there waiting for us at the door when we came in," Hardaway said of Irving. "He was good. Great spirits. Just happy that he's okay."
Irving's injury joins a mounting list of sidelined rotation players for the Mavs, who played Friday's game without Grant Williams (knee soreness), Maxi Kleber (small toe dislocation), and Josh Green (elbow sprain). The team has relied more on Exum and Seth Curry in the backcourt, with Jaden Hardy as another name to watch. Dallas has turned to rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper and two-way contract forward A.J. Lawson to fill minutes on the wing.
“I think one of the biggest things with our team is the next man up mentality,” Exum said. “You see that right now, me as an example. Hopefully, [Irving] is not out for too long, but we have a deep roster willing and ready to step up.”
Since midway through preseason, Irving has dealt with foot injuries that have caused him to be sidelined from game action from time to time thus far. He's averaged 23.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 17 games. Dallas has gone 3-1 in four games played without Irving this season.
