The Dallas Mavericks were dealt a brutal injury blow during Monday night’s 122-98 loss to Sacramento Kings as Kyrie Irving left the game with a concerning left knee sprain in the first quarter.
Irving’s left knee buckled on a drive to the basket and he crumpled to the floor in obvious pain. He was helped to the line by injured center Anthony Davis and a Mavericks staff member, knocking down both of his free throw attempts before leaving the court for the remainder of the game.
The NBA world is concerned for Irving, who’s been excellent in his 2024-25 season with the Mavericks.
Irving’s former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James took to social media with a message of support after this injury scare.
“Prayers sent up to Ky,” James wrote on X.
Irving is averaging 25.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game through 49 contests with the Mavericks so far this season. In a loss to James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb 25, the Dallas point guard recorded a game-high 35 points.
“Just unlucky. I hope that he’s healthy and it’s not serious,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said of Irving’s injury after the game. “The injuries that we’ve had this season, guys are trying to hold it together to get other bodies back. And it just seems every time we’re getting close to getting somebody back, someone goes down. We’re running out of bodies here, but guys keep fighting.”
Caption: June 9, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) and forward LeBron James (23) during the second quarter in game four of the 2017 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena.
© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Mavericks will face off against the Milwaukee Bucks in their next matchup on Wednesday night. James and the Lakers will look to continue their impressive 2024-25 campaign in a matchup against New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
