Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd provided injury updates on stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving during a media session with NBA reporters. Doncic is out for the rest of the preseason with a calf injury, while Irving is nursing a sore left groin.
“Luka injured his calf at our practice in Madrid and that’s why he played limited minutes [against Real Madrid],” Kidd said. “He had an MRI when he got back home, so he has a mild strain to the left calf and he will miss Friday’s game but will be re-evaluated later this week.
“Kyrie is nursing his sore left groin. He was in full participation and practiced today, so he was good. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and go from there.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks Updates
The Mavericks won just 38 games in 2022-23. The team was only 5-11 in games Doncic and Irving played together. That was the worst winning percentage (.313) for a pair of teammates who were both All-Stars since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976-77, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Irving averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 20 games with the Mavericks last season. He finished the 2022-23 season with averages of 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists with the Brooklyn Nets and Mavericks.
Irving re-signed with Dallas on a three-year, $126 million contract on the first day of free agency. The NBA champion has a 15% trade kicker in his new contract with the Mavericks. A trade kicker is the percentage of a player’s salary that is awarded as a bonus in the event of a trade.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks Updates
Doncic averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists last season. The Mavericks superstar recorded 36 double-doubles and 10 triple-doubles in 66 games.
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