Kyrie Irving out for season with torn ACL as Mavericks' problems mount
One by one, Dallas Mavericks players are headed to the injury report.
Now the Mavericks will be without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving who sustained a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee in Dallas’ 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
Irving left Monday’s game in the first quarter with what the team initially called a sprained knee. Further imaging revealed the extent of the injury.
"There aren't words to fully describe who Kyrie Irving is to this team or what he means to us as an organization," Mavericks GM Nico Harrison said in a statement Tuesday night. "Kyrie is the heart and soul of this team, and he has enbraced the city of Dallas as his home and our fans as an extension of his own family.
"His work ethic and absolute dedication to his craft, it's cut from the cloth of greats. I know it, I lived it, and I see the same ferocity and passion in him that I saw in Kobe. All my thoughts and that of our staff are with Kyrie and his family, and we are confident that he will come back from this stronger than ever just like he always has."
That wasn’t the only Mavs injury. Jaden Hardy exited with a sprained right ankle in the second quarter.
And the injuries are piling up for a team that is under immense scrutiny since trading star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for star Anthony Davis just before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Davis is one of several key Mavericks sidelined with an injury. He has played just one game for Dallas, during which he sustained a strained left adductor Feb. 8 against Houston.
The Mavericks, who won the Western Conference last season, were in eighth place at the time of the trade but are 6-7 since and have dropped to 10th place. At 32-30, Dallas is one game behind Minnesota, Sacramento and the Los Angeles Clippers and 3½ games ahead of Phoenix. With mounting injuries, they are in danger of missing the postseason, the play-in game format included.
The Mavericks are also without Dereck Lively II (right ankle), Caleb Martin (right hip), Daniel Gafford (right knee) and P.J. Washington (right ankle).
Irving is averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals and is shooting 47.3% from the field, 40.1% on 3-pointers and 91.6% on free throws. He has kept the Mavs in the postseason race amid the injuries, scoring at least 30 points six times in his past 11 games, including 42 in a victory against Golden State on Feb. 12.
(This story has been updated add a statement from the Dallas Mavericks general manager).