Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday, March 4.
“Devastating. Irving appeared in 50 of Mavs’ 62 games so far, and is currently the only player in the NBA averaging at least 20 points, 40% 3-point shooting and 90% from free throw line — the fifth season in his career with those statistics, second most all-time to Stephen Curry,” Charania wrote on X.
Irving sustained the injury late in the first quarter of their 122-98 blowout loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, March 3.
It was the second straight loss for the Mavericks and their fourth over their last five games. They are now 6-7 since they traded Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick.
Irving lost his balance as he tried to elude past Kings swingman DeMar DeRozan on his drive to the basket. Irving landed awkwardly on his left leg, with his knee appearing to have hyperextended as he came crashing down to the floor.
The Mavericks initially labeled Irving’s injury as left knee sprain before the MRI showed the severity of the damage.
“Just unlucky,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd told reporters of Irving’s injury. “I hope that he’s healthy, that it’s not serious.”
Luka Greatly Concerned About Kyrie’s Condition
Dončić immediately expressed his concern on his fallen former teammate. He reposted Irving’s courageous act of shooting his free throws with tears rolling down his cheeks after suffering the injury from Bleacher Report’s House of Highlights with a face holding back tears and praying emojis.
via Luka Doncic InstagramLakers star Luka Doncic expresses concern after his ex-teammate Kyrie Irving suffered a knee sprain.
Irving bravely shot the free throws, a scene that was eerily similar when his childhood hero, the late Kobe Bryant, made two foul shots after suffering an ACL tear in 2013 that signaled the decline of his career.
“That’s just who, I mean, Kai’s a tough guy,” Kidd told reporters after the loss. “I asked him as they were taking him off the court, ‘Are you good if you leave without shooting? You’re ruled out.’ So they took him to the free-throw line, and he shot the free throws and then we got him out.”
Wounded Mavericks
The Mavericks’ misfortunes did not end with Irving’s injury as their backup guard Jaden Hardy suffered a right ankle sprain in the third quarter.
Irving and Hardy’s injuries are just another brutal loss for the Mavericks, who were already without their top four big men led by Davis.
Dallas’ young starting center Dereck Lively II, has been out since Jan. 14 with a stress fracture in his ankle. He is not expected to return until the start of the postseason. His backup center Daniel Gafford has been out since Feb. 10 with a right knee injury. Forward PJ Washington Jr. is also out with a right ankle sprain.
The Mavericks finished the game with only nine players in uniform.
“It seems every time we get close to getting somebody back, someone goes down,” Kidd told reporters. “Tonight, both Hardy and Kai go down. So, we’re running out of bodies here.”
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