The Dallas Mavericks will host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Dallas has four players listed on the injury report, including Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.
Doncic, Irving, Dante Exum, and Seth Curry are all questionable for Wednesday's game as of this story's writing. Irving suffered a thumb injury during Monday's 119-110 loss against the Boston Celtics.
“Yeah, on the first play of the game, JT [Jayson Tatum] went by me and I tried to swipe, and he does his kind of trick where he puts the ball up and messed up my thumb,” Irving said after the game. “That’s why I’m wearing this freaking brace right now man.”
Injuries have played an unfortunate role in Dallas's season so far. Irving has been dealing with “unexpected injuries” this season. The Mavs guard previously was forced to miss time after Dwight Powell landed on his foot during a game. After Irving returned, he endured an injury scare after colliding with his former teammate LeBron James during a Mavericks-Los Angeles Lakers clash.
Kyrie Irving addresses injury concerns in 2023-24
“Yeah, no, I mean first play of the game, I went to swipe down on JT [Jayson Tatum], and then, just like the other game when I’m getting tackled out there by Bron [LeBron James], like unexpected injuries in the first few minutes of the game, and then I’m barely reaching for the basketball,” Irving said. “I’m barely going after things. My aggression was a little bit lower than I wanted to, and when things happen like that, personally, you’ve got to get out of your own way and still do everything you can to win, and I think for me, I’ve got to do a better job of inserting myself in situations on the court and getting better shots.
“I think a few of them, I felt like they were right at the rim, or they were pretty much contested, but I’ve got to knock those down. I’ve got to give Luka some help, especially when he’s playing well in the first half. Like that second half, I felt like we could have given him a lot more support, and he was forcing it a little bit, like every great scorer does in our league, and we’ve just got to pick him up on the defensive end, make sure we’re there to support each other.”
Irving has performed well in 2023-24 across 27 games. He is currently averaging 25 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per contest. He is going to try to play through the thumb sprain, but the Mavericks will obviously monitor the situation closely.
Luka Doncic's status for Mavericks-Suns game
Doncic recently returned from an injury of his own. However, his status is in question once again for the Mavericks-Suns game with a back issue.
Luka has also enjoyed another terrific season overall. Doncic is averaging 33.6 points, 9.3 assists, and 8.5 rebounds per game, and he is a legitimate MVP candidate without question.
Doncic holds himself to an incredibly high standard. Despite recording a 33-point, 18-rebound, 13-assist triple-double on Monday, Luka said he played “bad” after the loss.
“I played bad and missed a lot of layups,” he said. “They [the Celtics] are an amazing team. They are No. 1 in the NBA. They have great defense. They have two guys who can really play basketball really well, and all-around other guys that can really play too. So they have an amazing team and that is why they are No. 1.
“I think I just missed a lot of layups,” Doncic continued. “On that one possession I missed three in a row wide open. I just think it wasn't my night tonight. Jaylen Brown really attacked me well. I saw that video. I can't lie that was really nice. I was on the floor praying he didn't make it, but he made it. I try to play my best. I think my defense, I took a really big step this year. I was trying, but Jaylen really attacked me. No [there was no push-off], that was a really nice move.”
Mavs looking to bounce back vs. Suns
Wednesday's game projects to be a competitive affair. Phoenix will enter the game with a 25-18 record, while Dallas is 24-19. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 PM EST.
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