Mavericks' Kyrie Irving Reportedly Will Return from Foot Injury vs. Jokić, Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving is expected to make his return to the lineup on Friday night against Nikola Jokić and the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Irving will suit up for the first game of the in-season tournament for both teams.
The 31-year-old suited up for the Mavs' first two games (both wins) and averaged 19.5 points, 6.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds.
Unfortunately, a left foot sprain kept him out on Monday, Oct. 30 against the Memphis Grizzlies. He was initially ruled as questionable before the Mavs later declared him out.
Irving was also listed as questionable for the Mavs' Wednesday, Nov. 1 game versus Memphis. He wound up not playing.
Irving previously dealt with left groin soreness that kept him out for a pair of preseason games on Oct. 7 and 10, but he was able to return for the team's final preseason matchup on Oct. 20 before being ready for the regular season.
The eight-time All-Star agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract with Dallas last offseason. He joined the Mavs after issuing a trade request to the Brooklyn Nets, who dealt him to Dallas just before the 2023 trade deadline. Irving averaged 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the Nets and Mavericks last year.
Josh Green is Irving's top replacement if he can't go. The 22-year-old out of the University of Arizona notably had 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 34 minutes in Irving's place during the team's 125-110 win over Memphis last Monday. Last season, Green averaged 9.1 points on 53.7 percent shooting in 25.7 minutes over 60 games (21 starts).
Other guard options off the bench include Seth Curry, Dante Exum and Jaden Hardy.
Dallas hasn't skipped a beat without Irving thus far. The Mavericks and Boston Celtics are the only remaining unbeaten teams in the league with identical 4-0 records.
