All-NBA guard Luka Doncic (left thigh strain) will remain unavailable on Wednesday when the Mavericks visit San Antonio, the team confirmed (via Twitter). However, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), Doncic did accompany the Mavs on their road trip, which will continue in Los Angeles on Friday and Memphis on Monday.
As for Doncic’s backcourt mate, Kyrie Irving (right foot soreness) was listed as questionable for Wednesday’s contest, but said today that it’s “not looking good” for him to return, per MacMahon (Twitter link). It would be a third straight missed game for Irving, who continues to experience pain, especially in his big toe.
“This injury on my foot, it’s going to take a little bit more time than I thought,” Irving said (Twitter link via MacMahon). “It’s obviously still day to day, but we’ve just got to take more time.
“It’s right around my big toe, right around my plantar. I took a wrong step in New Orleans and it just felt like my knuckles cracked. I just wanted to take precautionary (measures) at this point in the season. I make my whole entire living with my feet, so I’d rather take care of it now than when I’m 40 years old.”
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- The other player Dallas acquired in the Irving trade will also likely be unavailable on Wednesday in San Antonio, as Markieff Morris (left knee soreness) has been downgraded from questionable to doubtful, according to the team (Twitter link). Morris has only logged 24 minutes across five appearances since joining the Mavs.
- Having lost three consecutive games and nine of their last 12, the Mavericks now hold the ninth seed in the West and have fallen below .500 (34-35). Tim Cato of The Athletic wonders if Dallas’ season is beyond fixing, but identifies five ways the team might turn things around, including playing by more pragmatic lineups and committing to a direction with Christian Wood.
- This year’s Mavericks may be charting the same course the Hawks did in 2022, when Atlanta was quickly eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after making it to the Eastern Conference Finals a year earlier, writes Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News. The Hawks’ inability to recapture their 2021 form ultimately led to Nate McMillan‘s dismissal this year, Cowlishaw notes, adding that it’s hard to say where things will stand for Jason Kidd if the Mavs don’t bounce back in the next few weeks.
Is Dallas the biggest mess in the NBA? Recent moves have not been working and no clear path forward, not to mention Kidd seems checked out.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, even failure.
Weren’t you the dude crying about people being negative on the Ja thread? Lmfao
That was me what can I help u with?
Mark from Cuba lucked into one title and has shown his ineptitude to run a team ever since…
It should’ve been “everything’s bigger in Texas — even mistakes”
KI could have been the last piece for the Mavs to be a contender but they have not build a strong roster around Luka before …
Mr. Cuban getting his money’s worth!
Freak the Mavs n Kyrie ….. lose lose lose just keep losing. Your draft pick is ours.
We probably lose our pick in 2023. But it’s looking like THREE #1 picks coming our way this yr. And Mavs pick could be best one lols.
Here is the list of Knicks draft picks for 2023
Own Top-14 protected (Traded to Portland in deal for Josh Hart)
DAL Top-10 protected
DET Top-18 protected (via HOU to OKC)
WAS Top-14 protected (via HOU to OKC)
Actually I wish Det could be ours …. my mistake. That’s Two
The Irving trade was a disaster without injuries…