Mavericksโ€™ guard Kyrie Irving sidelined by bulging disc in his back; no return date set

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    MEMPHIS, Tenn. โ€” Kyrie Irving, the guard for the Dallas Mavericks, is likely to be sidelined for one to two weeks due to a bulging disk in his back. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd provided no specific updates regarding the timeline for Irvingโ€™s return during a media session prior to the teamโ€™s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.

    Kidd refrained from making predictions about the injury, stating, โ€œHeโ€™s out, so thereโ€™s nothing I can speculate or comment on. It has been reported that he is out for a week or two.โ€ When pressed for an estimated recovery timeline, he replied, โ€œGive me 48 hours to get that answer.โ€

    Irving serves as the Mavericksโ€™ second-highest scorer, averaging 25.6 points per game with a shooting percentage near 50%, including 41.1% from beyond the arc. His absence poses yet another challenge for Dallasโ€™s offensive capabilities.

    Additionally, leading scorer Luka Doncic is also unavailable for Mondayโ€™s game, marking his sixth consecutive absence due to a left calf strain. The combined absence of Irving and Doncic leaves the Mavericks without a total of 52.4 points per game from their scoring lineup.

    Kidd emphasized the importance of all available players stepping up to compensate for the scoring gap. โ€œBeing short-handed, itโ€™s the next-man-up mentality. We canโ€™t replace Luka or Kyrie, so itโ€™s going to take a team effort,โ€ he stated.

    As the Mavericks prepare to face the Grizzlies, their current record stands at 20-15, placing them third in the Southwest Division, three games behind the leading Houston Rockets.