The show must go on for the Dallas Mavericks even without Luka Doncic, but while they wait for their superstar guard, there are opportunities for players to step up.
DALLAS — Even with multiple losses during the week, the sky has paused from falling for the moment for the Dallas Mavericks. With Kyrie Irving returning from a back injury that has sidelined him since the start of the new year, Dallas has looked more competitive even as they wait for the return of their other superstar guard Luka Doncic.
With the league’s second-highest scoring guard still nursing a calf strain, getting another top-10 scorer was a victory in itself for the Mavericks as they had experienced a slide without their stars to start off 2025.
Nevertheless, even with the positive health news, Dallas went 1-3 this week, losing back to back games against Denver along with a frustrating defeat in New Orleans before their 106-98 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
Irving made his anticipated return for the second Denver matchup on Tuesday night, playing thirty minutes. The need to shake off the rust was evident, as the former All-Star went 0 for 3 from deep and made only four field goals on the night after missing two weeks since going down on New Year’s Day. Having Irving back in the lineup regardless was a clear turning point for Dallas, who have been clawing to stay afloat as their injuries pile up.
For a contest that was missing Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the regional matchup against OKC lived up to both fanbases’ escalating tensions with each other. Irving played 39 minutes in the victory, scoring 25 and going perfect on attempts from the free-throw line.
The supporting cast had a good turnout from deep, and the Mavs made 16 threes collectively. The game was physical for mid-January, but it’s par for the course for two teams that have built up a nice rivalry in the last few years. The Thunder are now 34-7 on the year, with two of those losses coming to a shorthanded Mavericks team.
Dallas now travels to the Queen City to take on the Charlotte Hornets on Martin Luther King Day looking to start a winning streak. Former Maverick 1st rounder Josh Green has found a meaningful role in his new home, starting 35 games for Charlotte, the most on the team. Still, the Hornets do not appear to be heading anywhere this season, having won only ten games on the season to date.
The matchup against the floundering Eastern Conference squad should be a good buffer between the endurance tests that follow. The Minnesota Timberwolves will follow for a midweek home matchup, with the Mavericks traveling back to Oklahoma City for a back-to-back rematch against their playoff combatants from last summer.
Minnesota doesn’t look like the same squad that made it to the Western Conference Finals after botching the Karl-Anthony Towns trade with New York, and they find themselves behind the Mavericks in the conference seeding despite all of Dallas’ injuries. The next Mavs versus Thunder contest will be the last faceoff of the regular season between the two budding rivals, so any pending receipts will be provided in case they don’t meet again in the playoffs.
The main event, one that has been on minds since the Summer and penciled in on calendars since the schedule release will be the Boston Celtics arriving on Saturday. This won’t be the rematch everyone hoped for as Doncic will likely not be back until closer to the All-Star break, but the rest of the Mavs will surely be itching for a little bit of revenge after succumbing to Boston in the NBA Finals in five games last June.
The NBA champions arrive with a .700+ winning percentage that the shorthanded Mavs will look to counter, and Irving will have another chance to light up his former team, a squad that has routinely hounded him after their breakup.
Do you think the Mavs can stay in the mix in the Western Conference despite their injuries? Share your thoughts with Irvin on Bluesky @irvin.bsky.social.