Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has a bulging disk in his back that’s expected to sideline him for at least one to two weeks, ESPN reported Monday.
The Mavericks announced Monday night that Irving has sustained a lumbar back sprain. It’s not clear how or when Irving sustained the injury. Irving doesn’t yet have a target date to return to the court, according to the ESPN report.
The Mavericks are already playing without All-Star guard Luka Dončić, who’s sidelined with a calf strain that he suffered in Dallas’ loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas. It’s not clear when Dončić will return. The Mavericks announced on Dec. 28 that Dončić would be reevaluated in one month.
The news of Irving’s injury is another blow for the reigning Western Conference champion Mavericks, who have been in a free fall since Dončić’s injury. Including the Christmas loss to Minnesota, the Mavericks have lost five of six games since Dončić suffered his calf strain. After a 19-10 start, Dallas has fallen to 20-15.
Things don’t project to get any easier for the Mavericks, who are now down their two best players. In the next two weeks, the Mavericks will play five of seven games against fellow Western Conference playoff contenders with matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, back-to-back games against the Denver Nuggets and another against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
They’ll face another tough three-game stretch from Jan. 22-25 with games against the Timberwolves and Thunder before an NBA Finals rematch against the Boston Celtics. There’s a chance they could play all of those games without Dončić or Irving.
