Dallas Mavericks’ Injury Woes Deepen After Kyrie Irving Tears ACL

The Dallas Mavericks received devastating news after Kyrie Irving, their star point guard, appeared to suffer a major knee injury in Monday night’s loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Further tests revealed that Irving’s knee injury was more serious than initially thought, with the Mavericks confirming Tuesday that he had torn his ACL.

Irving’s injury occurred late in the first quarter when he came down awkwardly on his left knee. With tears in his eyes, he managed to hit two free throws before heading to the locker room.

The Mavericks went on to lose 122-98, their fourth loss in five games.

Irving’s injury abruptly ends what had been an impressive season, as he finishes with averages of 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. The injury also takes him out of the running for All-NBA eligibility and costs him $2 million in bonuses tied to his availability. His contract includes a $43 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign.

The injury woes continue for the Mavericks, as Jaden Hardy is expected to miss time with an ankle sprain suffered Monday night.

Dallas faces yet another setback, coming on the heels of last month’s stunning trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Anthony Davis, the focal point of the Mavericks’ trade that sent Doncic to the Lakers, played only three quarters before an adductor strain put him out indefinitely. Dallas was hit with more bad news as Daniel Gafford suffered a sprained MCL and will be out for at least six weeks, while Caleb Martin, acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers, has yet to appear in a game due to a hip injury.

With Monday’s loss dropping them to 32-30, the Mavericks are just holding on to the 10th seed, the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.