It was about this time last year when the Dallas Mavericks pushed their chips to the center of the table and traded for Kyrie Irving. They were in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference playoff race at the trade deadline, and thought that adding another superstar alongside Luka Dončić would make them into legit championship contenders.
Mavericks Have Both Stars Available vs. 76ers
🚨 Kyrie Irving (thumb) and Luka Doncic (ankle) have both been upgraded to AVAILABLE for the Mavs’ matchup with the Sixers tonight, per @espn_macmahon.
Tonight will be just the 23rd time out of 50 games that they have played together this season. pic.twitter.com/XXXLoLw46g
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 5, 2024
The opposite happened. Dallas went the wrong direction in the standings, eventually missing out on the playoffs entirely, and entered yet another off-season full of questions. They had a decision to make about Irving’s future with the franchise, but opted to bring him back on a 3-year deal, hoping they could turn last year’s misfortunes around.
They’ve been better than average so far this year, currently sitting with a record of 26-23 and in 8th place in the West. But they’ve lost 7 of their last 10, and will likely be looking to add some firepower at the deadline that is coming up this week.
Perhaps one of the reasons why they haven’t performed better is the lack of time that the two stars share on the court. Both players have been listed as active for Monday’s game against the 76ers after being questionable leading up, and it will mark just the 23rd time that Irving and Doncic have been on the floor at the same time through the team’s first 50 games.
Just 23 Games Together For Irving & Doncic
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic have both been upgraded to available vs. the 76ers tonight. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/9OJWQV8DEg
— ESPN BET (@ESPNBet) February 5, 2024
It has been Irving who has been the culprit for missing games. He has had two extended absences over the first three months of the season, including 12 games in the month of December, and has missed the last six games for the Mavericks as well.
The schedule for Dallas softens up a bit over the next couple of weeks, which could bode well for a potential trade and certainly for rising in the standings. The 76ers will of course be without Joel Embiid tonight, and the Mavericks are listed as a road underdog. They’ll take on the likes of the Nets, Wizards, and Spurs between now and Valentine’s Day, but have tough games against the Thunder and Knicks sandwiched in between.
On the year, Doncic is averaging 34.8 points per game, the second-highest mark in the league behind only Embiid. Irving’s numbers are down slightly across the board, but he has seen a dip in his minutes this season as well.
