Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving will miss the rest of the NBA season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee, the team announced on Tuesday.
Irving went down in the team’s 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night as he was driving to the hoop late in the first quarter. His left knee bent awkwardly as he attempted a layup, crashed to the court hard and immediately called for a trainer.
Despite the fall, Irving remained in the game to shoot free throws after drawing the foul, but then was helped off the court without putting much weight on his leg as he went back to the locker room.
The team quickly ruled Irving out with a left knee sprain. He finished with seven points, one rebound and one assist in nine minutes.
“It hasn’t been 48 hours since I tore my ACL, but the recovery process already started mentally, spiritually, emotionally,” Irving said on Instagram Live on Tuesday. “I just wanted to let you guys know I’m OK, and I will be OK moving forward. It does suck a lot, I ain’t gonna lie to you guys. This one stings for sure.”
Several former teamamtes, including Luka Dončić and LeBron James, posted messages in support of Irving, too.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said in a statement on Tuesday night that he was “confident that [Irving] will come back from this stronger than ever just like he always has.”
The Mavericks are 32-30 on the season and sit in the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. Irving’s injury is just another moment in a tough season for the franchise. Already without big men Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, Anthony Davis, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers for Dončić, has played just once since the deal after injuring his adductor in his first game with Dallas.
Guard Jaden Hardy was also lost on Monday night after suffering an ankle injury in the second half.
“The injuries we’ve had this season, guys are trying to hold it together to get other bodies back,” said Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd on Monday. “And then it just seems every time we get close to getting someone back, someone else goes down.
“We’re running out of bodies here. But guys keep fighting.”
Irving, in his 15th NBA season, averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 50 games this season while averaging over 36 minutes a night. He’s the only player in the NBA this season averaging 20 points, 40% shooting from 3-point range and 90% from the free-throw line.
Irving had to be helped off the court early in the Mavericks’ loss to the Kings on Monday night
Bucks smoke depleted Mavs, 137-107, as Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo dominate
The Dallas Mavericks hit the road to play the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, a rematch after these teams just played in Dallas on Saturday. The Bucks won that matchup, and Dallas already looks vastly different than they did in that game. Kyrie Irving tore his ACL and Jaden Hardy sprained his ankle on Monday night, adding to a lengthy injury report.
It might be easier to list who actually was available for the Mavericks, but here’s who they were missing: Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Dante Exum, Jaden Hardy, Caleb Martin, and Kai Jones.
With that many players out, Dallas started Spencer Dinwiddie, Max Christie, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and Dwight Powell, the 33rd different starting lineup of the season. Milwaukee started Damian Lillard, Taurean Prince, Kyle Kuzma, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez.
READ MORE: Mavericks coach Jason Kidd blasts media’s ‘wrong’ reporting of Kyrie Irving’s season-ending injury
It was an admirable start for the depleted Mavericks. Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combining for Milwaukee’s first 20 points, Dallas was hanging around thanks to 9 early points from Klay Thompson. But after the game was tied at 16, Milwaukee went on an 18-3 run to take a stranglehold of the game.
Dallas scored six straight points to get the lead back to 10, but they couldn’t get any stops. Kyle Kuzma scored the last seven points of the half for Milwaukee, and they’d take a 43-30 lead into the second quarter.
Max Christie and Brandon Williams helped bring Milwaukee’s advantage down to six again, but then the Bucks reinserted Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard and took off again. Those two continued to terrorize the Mavericks, shooting the ball very efficiently and spreading the ball around to open shooters, allowing the Bucks to shoot 63% from the floor in the first half.
Giannis had 26 points and Damian Lillard had 20, allowing the Bucks to take a 72-53 lead into halftime. Dallas’ offense was playing fine, but they had no rim protection against a team you desperately need it.
READ MORE: Kevin Durant delivers emotional response about Kyrie Irving’s season-ending injury
The third quarter was more of the same, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard continued to torch the Mavs. Giannis crossed the 20,000 career points mark in the third quarter, but he and Lillard crossed 30 points for the game before the end of the third quarter as the Bucks crossed the century mark with three minutes to go in the frame.
Dallas was still scoring somewhat, as Naji Marshall scored nine points in a row before the end of the quarter, but Milwaukee still had a 106-79 lead heading into the fourth.
There wouldn’t be any unnecessary drama in the fourth quarter, as the Bucks emptied the bench, and went on to win 137-107.
Klay Thompson led the Mavericks with 28 points, but he attempted a season-high 27 shots to get there. Naji Marshall (22 points, 10 rebounds, a few of those points came well into garbage time), Brandon Williams (14 points), and Max Christie (13 points) were also in double figures.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were incredible for the Bucks, with Giannis putting up 32 points and 15 rebounds on 13/20 shooting, and Lillard had 34 points on 11/15 shooting, including 5/8 from three. Kevin Porter Jr. had a triple-double off the bench, which made me have to triple-check the stat sheet, finishing with 10 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds. AJ Green (18 points, 6/9 three-point shooting), Kyle Kuzma (17 points), and Jericho Sims (10 points) were also in double figures.
Dallas returns home to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
READ MORE: Former Maverick Luka Doncic assists Lakers’ LeBron James for historic milestone
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Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024. Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNG
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Austin Veazey | 13 Minutes Ago
What channel is Milwaukee Bucks vs Dallas Mavericks on tonight? Time, TV, streaming, odds
It’s likely that Giannis Antetokounmpo will achieve an NBA milestone Wednesday night when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Dallas Mavericks at Fiserv Forum.
Antetokounmpo needs just 22 points to reach the benchmark monster number of 20,000 career points. But if it happens Wednesday night, not as many basketball fans nationally will be able to see it live.
The game was scheduled to be on ESPN, but the network announced last week it would televise the Oklahoma City-Memphis game instead. It’s the third telecast involving the Mavericks that ESPN has replaced since star guard Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Antetokounmpo has averaged 30.9 points over 47 games this season. He’ll become the 52nd player in the league’s history to score 20,000 points. Only five of the 43 retired players in the exclusive club aren’t in the Hall of Fame. He’s listed as probable for Wednesday night’s game on the Bucks’ injury report.
Here’s how to watch and listen to the game:
The Bucks vs. Mavericks game starts at about 7 p.m. from Fiserv Forum.
Yes, the Bucks broadcast is on Channel 215 and the Nuggets broadcast is on the SiriusXM app.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Wednesday
MORE: NBA standings
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