It's not a good time to be a Dallas Mavericks fan. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are missing games and the team is losing. In fact, the Mavs are on a three-game winless streak after getting victimized by the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies Monday night at home, 104-88.
And that sound you just heard is the playoff alarm bells ringing for the Mavs, who have slid down the Play-in Tournament picture in the Western Conference standings with a 34-35 record — good for just eighth in the West.
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd is fully aware of the thin ice his team is skating on, but he's also someone who seems to like putting things into perspective, perhaps maybe to soften the blows Dallas is absorbing.
“Understand, we're getting better – it's just a matter of can we be healthy in time to make a stretch run?” Kidd said following the loss to the Grizzlies (h/t Michael Mulford of Sports Illustrated). “If not, that's just the season. No one is dying.”
In any case, Kidd and the Mavs are hoping for rescue to come sooner than later in the form of Doncic and Irving returning from their absences. Doncic has missed the last couple of games because of a thigh issue, while Irving also sat out those contests due to right knee soreness.
The Mavs will look to right the ship in an upcoming three-game road trip that kicks off this Wednesday against the lowly San Antonio Spurs — a winnable contest with or without Doncic and Irving.
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