Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Mavericks’ headline injuries against the Knicks; Jalen Brunson is doubtful
Prior to their game against the Knicks on Wednesday, the Mavericks have listed Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as out with injuries, while Jalen Brunson is questionable.
City of New York The Dallas Mavericks play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday to cap off a three-game road trip along the East Coast.
According to the Mavs’ injury report, Kyrie Irving (right thumb sprain) and Luka Doncic (broken nose) are both expected to play. While Dante Exum (right knee bursitis) and Dereck Lively II (nasal fracture) have been ruled out, Maxi Kleber (dislocation of his right small toe) is questionable.
Doncic was obviously bothered by the face mask he tried out to protect his nose during Tuesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. Before concluding his pregame workout, he took it off and made numerous adjustments. He wore it to start the game, took it off during an early first-quarter timeout, and didn’t wear it to the end.
Doncic said that the mask didn’t fit him because it wasn’t made specifically for him when explaining why he didn’t wear it the entire game. It bothered him that he had trouble breathing through his nose. Even so, he finished with 35 points, 18 rebounds, and 9 assists in the 119-107 triumph over Brooklyn.
Doncic said, “[The mask] was actually Maxi’s.” “I couldn’t fit in the mask.”
Doncic clarified, “A little bit—it’s hard to breathe [through] the nose.” “So it bothered me a little bit.”
Lively will not travel with the team after undergoing surgery in Dallas on Monday to fix his nasal fracture. It’s unclear when he will be able to resume competing because it depends on how much pain he can handle following surgery.
Exum, who has only appeared in three games since the beginning of January, does not currently have a return date on record.
Numerous injuries are plaguing the Knicks, including the questionable right ankle sprain of former player Jalen Brunson. The following have been ruled out: Julius Randle (dislocated right shoulder), Mitchell Robinson (left ankle surgery), O.G. Anunoby (right elbow bone spur irritation), and Quentin Grimes (sprained right knee). Jericho Sims’s (illness) suitability for play is questioned.
Since it would alter the status of every player involved in a trade, it is only fitting that the game be played hours after the trade deadline at 3 p.m. Eastern.
