The Dallas Mavericks looked absolutely helpless on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets at the American Airlines Center. Nikola Jokic and company completely toyed with the Mavs, which resulted in the Denver Nuggets claiming a crushing victory over the hosts by 19 points. It was the second time in three days when these teams collided and both times it was the Nuggets who came out on top. While the first contest was somewhat close, the second was far from it.
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Update on Luka Doncic's Return
Mavericks heaping up losses has much to do with Luka Doncic's injury. Ever since Doncic has picked up the calf injury, the Mavericks have struggled to attain any momentum. Doncic sustained the injury on Christmas Day and since then the Western Conference defending champions have won only three games out of the ten they have played. The loss against the Nuggets has furthered their misery, leaving fans frustrated with the contemplation regarding when Luka Magic will return to the side.
As per a recent report, Luka Doncic could return to the court soon. Per Jared Greenberg of TNT, Mavs are confident that Doncic will return to the side before the All-Star break in the middle of February. It is an optimistic update but there are still weeks left to the point and thus in the meantime, Jason Kidd has to somehow find a way to win. Thus, while there is nothing opaque about it, Luka Doncic will remain out in tonight's matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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Mavericks Could Receive a Respite in the Form of Kyrie Irving
As the team revolves around Luka Doncic, the impact of his absence was certain to be felt. However, Kyrie Irving being sidelined worsened the Mavericks' position. Irving is listed as "probable" in the injury report released ahead of the match against the Pelicans. Nevertheless, Mavs could receive a respite as Irving has expressed the intention of competing tonight.
Kyrie Irving himself addressed his availability for tonight’s game, providing a glimmer of hope for Mavericks fans. “I couldn’t even put on my socks standing up. I had to sit down every single time. I couldn’t really meditate. I was getting a lot of uncomfortable feeling down in my hamstring and also just down my [back],” Irving shared about his recovery process. However, he confirmed his intentions to play, saying, “Most likely.”