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Mavericks' Kyrie Irving's poor game against Grizzlies attributed to surprise factor

Noah Weber
Noah Weber

The Smoking Cuban

Dallas Mavericks v Los Angeles Clippers / Allen Berezovsky/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks headed into Friday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies extra shorthanded. Dallas was coming off a strong win over the Houston Rockets, but wouldn't have their full squad on Friday.

Superstar Luka Doncic was out due to personal reasons as his fiancee had a baby girl, and Tim Hardaway Jr. was out due to back spasms. Hardaway Jr. had been playing excellently off the bench, and he was clearly missed.

Dallas was without two of their best offensive weapons, and were heading into a game against another shorthanded team in the Grizzlies.

Mavericks' Kyrie Irving's poor game against Grizzlies attributed to surprise factor

The Mavs were shorthanded heading into the game, and they became more shorthanded at the end of the first quarter. Although it wasn't reported when it happened, Kyrie Irving sustained a foot injury at the end of the first quarter.

After the game, when asked about his slow start, Irving immediately brought up the foot injury. He said that it was something he felt pregame and said, "it's hard to settle back in once you feel a tweak like that."

Irving struggled for the game's entirety as he finished with just 10 points and shot 3-15 from the field. Dallas lost this game 108-94, and couldn't make a full comeback in the second half despite getting close a few times.

This bad game from Irving was largely due to his injury, as he didn't look like himself at all, but the long-term implications could be concerning as well.

Irving has already been battling another foot injury earlier this season, and this isn't a great sign that it's bothering him again. He never specified if it was the same foot or not, but in order to compete with OKC tomorrow, Dallas needs him.

Irving said "I'm looking like I'm going to play tomorrow," but said he will see how it feels in the morning.

No one knew about this foot injury until postgame, and Mavs fans are crossing their fingers that it isn't anything serious.

For all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks and Kyrie Irving this season, stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.