Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving went down with a scary looking knee injury early in the team’s 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.
Update: Kyrie Irving reportedly out for season after suffering torn ACL
Irving was driving to the hoop late in the first quarter at the American Airlines Center when his left knee bent awkwardly as he attempted a layup. Irving crashed down to the court hard and immediately called for a trainer to come help him.
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Irving remained in the game to shoot free throws after drawing the foul, but then was helped off the court without putting much weight on his leg as he went back to the locker room.
The team quickly ruled him out with a left knee sprain. Further specifics are not yet known. He finished with seven points, one rebound and one assist in nine minutes on Monday night. Irving entered Monday’s contest averaging 25 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game this season.
“Just unlucky,” head coach Jason Kidd said, via The Associated Press. “I hope that he’s healthy, that it’s not serious.”
Irving’s injury is the second significant one the Mavericks have faced since the team opted to trade star Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers at the deadline last month. Star Anthony Davis, whom the Mavericks received in that deal, went down with an adductor injury in his debut with the team and has been sidelined ever since. The team also lost guard Jaden Hardy to an ankle injury in the second half on Monday night.
“It seems every time we get close to getting somebody back, someone goes down,” Kidd said, via The Associated Press. “Tonight, both Hardy and Kai go down. So, we’re running out of bodies here.”
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The Kings led the entire way and cruised to the 24-point win, thanks to a dominant third quarter where they limited Dallas to just 16 points. Zach LaVine led the way with 22 points after shooting 8-of-12 from the field. DeMar DeRozan added 20 points, and Keegan Murray finished with 18 points. The Kings shot better than 47% from behind the arc, too.
Kai Jones led Dallas with 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Naji Marshall added 18 points, and both Spencer Dinwiddie and Max Christie finished with 10 points. No Mavericks starter hit double figures.
The Mavericks now hold a 32-30 record after Monday’s loss. They have dropped four of their last five and are fighting to hang on to the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference standings. With more injuries piling up, that playoff push that seemed very certain just a few months ago may be a tough thing to pull off.
