Mavs: Kyrie Irving in walking boot after re-injuring foot vs. Grizzlies

Mavs star Kyrie Irving asserted that wearing the walking boot is merely a "precautionary" measure after re-aggravating his foot injury.

Given how tight the Western Conference standings are at the moment, the Dallas Mavericks will need every win they can get. On Monday night, the Mavs appeared to be in a position to pull out a victory against the Memphis Grizzlies. However, they ended up going cold in the fourth quarter, with Kyrie Irving going an inexplicable 0-8 in the fourth quarter despite leading the league in points per game during payoff periods. As a result, the Mavs ended up losing, 112-108, falling once more to the seventh spot after a Golden State Warriors victory.

However, things seemed to go from bad to worse for the Mavs. After getting entangled with noted Grizzlies enforcer Dillon Brooks, Irving appeared to re-aggravate the right foot injury that has kept him out for three of the Mavs' past five games. As a result, the Mavs star needed to wear a walking boot on his right foot following the loss to the Grizzlies, according to Callie Caplan of Dallas Morning News.

Nevertheless, Kyrie Irving asserted that wearing the walking boot is merely a “precautionary” measure, and that he would “exhaust all options in the next 48 hours” to ensure that he wouldn't miss much time (if any at all), with the Mavs hanging on for dear life in the playoff race.

This development should be nothing but bad news for Mavs fans. In addition to the latest knock Irving picked up, Luka Doncic remains on the mend with a thigh injury that should make some think twice regarding its true severity. After all, Doncic's thigh injury has kept him out of action for their past five games, and it's unclear when exactly the Slovenian superstar would return to the hardwood.

Still, with a contest against the Warriors on the docket for Wednesday, the Mavs could very well use a Doncic return. If Doncic still can't suit up for their pivotal clash against the Dubs, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green should also take over some ballhandling duties.

Should Kyrie Irving need to miss time, the Mavs should count on Jaden Hardy once more to pick up the offensive slack. In three games starting for Irving, Hardy has averaged 24.0 points, 3.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds, proving himself to be a capable option to shoulder a huge offensive burden. However, Hardy tweaked his ankle against the Grizzlies, which could deplete the Mavs' guard corps even further.