Report: Mavs' Kyrie Irving Expected to Miss 1-2 Weeks with Back Injury, Bulging Disc

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving is expected to miss a minimum of one to two weeks due to "a bulging disc in his back," according to ESPN's Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon.

Irving had missed two of the Mavericks' last three games prior to Charania and MacMahon's report.

The news marks the continuation of Irving's injury issues. The Mavs star sat out 24 games during the 2023-24 season amid foot, heel, thumb and hamstring injuries.

He did appear in 31 consecutive games heading into April, marking his longest streak of availability since his 2015-16 campaign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Irving also returned to start all 22 of the Mavericks' postseason games as he and Luka Dončić led Dallas to the NBA Finals.

Injury problems resumed for Irving this offseason, however, as the Mavericks announced in July he had suffered a broken left hand that required surgery during an offseason workout.

Despite appearing in 30 of 35 games to start the season, Irving will now once again miss time due to injury.

Irving's availability during the 2023-24 regular season allowed him to build on his connection with Dončić and was a key reason for the Mavericks made it back to the Finals for the first time since 2011.

His absence will now challenge the Mavericks' depth as the team hopes to maintain a Western Conference playoff spot.

Quentin Grimes, an offseason trade acquisition whose playing time has increased throughout the season, is likely to get more playing time in Irving's absence.

Grimes is coming off of his most productive performance of the season, during which he led the Mavs with 26 points in Friday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.