The Mavericks have already clinched the Southwest Division title and no worse than a fifth-place finish in the West.
The Dallas Mavericks could be without both of their star players for the final regular-season home game of the season.
Kyrie Irving (left hamstring soreness) was ruled out and Luka Doncic (left ankle soreness) were listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. Rookie center Dereck Lively II (right knee sprain) was also ruled out and coach Jason Kidd said he would not play in either of the final two regular-season games.
Irving has played in 31 straight games. When told last night that clinching a playoff berth means as much as a 10 or 11 day rest, he exclaimed: "Yes! Yes! Yes! That sounds great. You said 10 to 11 days? I'm not taking that for granted, at all." https://t.co/ik19E29tgR
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) April 11, 2024
With their win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday, the Mavericks already clinched the Southwest Division title and no worse than a fifth-place finish in the Western Conference. The Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are set to meet in the first round of the playoffs.
Irving has appeared in 31 straight games for Dallas. Irving scored 25 points in Wednesday night’s win over the Miami Heat. By appearing in his 58th game of the season and leading the Mavericks to their 50th win of the season, Irving reached a pair of $1 million incentives.
Doncic, who had 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists against the Heat, has missed just two games over the last month, including last Friday’s game against Golden State due to right knee soreness.
