Things went from bad to worse for the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night when they lost Kyrie Irving to a serious-looking knee injury early on in their contest against the Sacramento Kings. Irving, on an aggressive drive to the basket, seemed to bend his knee backwards after planting his left foot, immediately sending him to the ground crumpling in pain. Irving then took and made his two free throws before being helped off the court.

Some bonds simply cannot be broken by circumstances. Irving's former Mavericks teammate, Luka Doncic sent a heartfelt message to his former backcourt mate on his Instagram story wishing him well in the aftermath of this unfortunate development.

This injury to Irving was the last thing the Mavericks needed especially with Anthony Davis, the man they acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers courtesy of the Doncic trade, still on the mend due to a groin injury. With the Mavs having a 32-29 record heading into their Monday night matchup against the Kings, they are facing an uphill climb in their goal to make the playoffs and compete for a championship.

With Irving and Davis out, it's not quite clear how the Mavericks will manage. The onus to create offense will fall on the shoulders of Jaden Hardy and Spencer Dinwiddie, and that's hardly a reliable recipe for success for a team looking to earn its place in the top-six of the Western Conference.

This was a scenario that the Mavericks could have managed if they still had Doncic on the roster. Doncic would have no problems taking on additional burden on the offensive end. But Doncic is now with the Lakers, and all the Mavericks can do is lick their wounds.

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Mavericks' doomsday scenario comes to life

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When the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic away, they believed that the duo of Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis would be enough to lead them to a championship. But Irving and Davis both have histories of being susceptible to injuries, and both have now fallen prey to the injury bug.

The Mavericks' chances of making it to the playoffs, let alone winning a championship, aren't looking too good with this turn of events. Meanwhile, the Lakers are rolling; they are currently the two-seed in the Western Conference, with Luka Doncic thriving alongside LeBron James — which is exactly the worst-case scenario Mavs fans could have envisioned in the aftermath of the blockbuster trade that shocked the world.