Kyrie Irving has been on a good path since being traded to the Dallas Mavericks back in February. For a good portion of this season, the former NBA Champion was in and out of his former team’s lineup for extremely controversial reasons. But it turns out, the man has finally gotten what he wanted, that is, to have a significant amount of control over his team. Kai is the only well-experienced veteran on the roster.
On the other hand, Luka Doncic has been quite frustrated with the direction of the Mavericks. The team played exceptionally well during the start of the season and maintained a good winning record until February. The trade that took place to acquire Irving gave the Mavs a bit of damage on the defensive end. Luka has often complained about it. Right now, Dallas is out of the play-in tournament births by one game.
The Chicago Bulls have been struggling to find their form. Last year, they ranked among the top teams in the Eastern Conference, ultimately qualifying for the playoffs. Their roster is led by DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic. All three individuals have not really been able to find a footing ever since LaVine started to show his true colors and interest in signing with other teams.
Kyrie Irving is out for the Dallas Mavericks vs Chicago Bulls game tonight
Dallas fans have really bad news coming their way. Kyrie Irving is out for the upcoming game. Doncic will have to work hard to win the game if he’s healthy. If they manage to win both games and the OKC Thunder don’t win their remaining matchups, the Mavericks will qualify for the play-in tournament.
Dallas will be missing these players tonight against Chicago:
– Kyrie Irving
– Tim Hardaway Jr.
– Josh Green
– Christian Wood
– Maxi KleberThe Mavs would be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss 😳 pic.twitter.com/fURF8FZUY1
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 7, 2023
Kyrie Irving will definitely show a different side to his skill once he reaches the knockout stages. We have seen him pull off incredible victories alongside LeBron James and Kevin Durant, with him being the key player of each night. Luka Doncic, as always has to continue to remain a constant threat.
Dallas Mavericks injury report
- Tim Hardaway Jr. (Out)
- Maxi Kleber (Out)
- Christian Wood (Out)
- Josh Green (Out)
- Kyrie Irving (Out)
- JaVale McGee (Probable)
- Luka Doncic (Probable)
Dallas Mavericks expected roster
- Luka Doncic
- Jaden Hardy
- Justin Holiday
- Reggie Bullock
- Dwight Powell
Chicago Bulls injury report
- Zach LaVine (Questionable)
- DeMar DeRozan (Questionable)
- Alex Caruso (Questionable)
- Lonzo Ball (Out)
- Justin Lewis (Out)
Chicago Bulls expected roster
- Patrick Beverley
- Ayo Dosunmu
- Dale Terry
- Patrick Williams
- Nikola Vucevic
It seems as though both are taking a massive hit coming into this matchup. For the Bulls especially, their key players are listed as questionable, which means there are still slight chances of them showing up. If all three players are going to sit out, the chances of the Bulls winning against the Mavericks are very low.
Can the Dallas Mavericks win without Kyrie Irving?
It is fairly simple if Luka gets the green signal to play, the Mavericks will have a good chance of winning against the Bulls. Three Bulls stars are questionable and all of them are key members of the roster. Dallas has a better advantage offensively, with Doncic averaging 32.7 points per game along with 8.7 rebounds and 8.1 assists.
For the Bulls, it’s a very risky situation to be in at the American Airlines Center. However, they are already locked in for the play-in tournament this season with a good lead ahead of the 11th-seeded Indiana Pacers. They are still short of players who usually lead the offense and perimeter shooting. Right now, Dallas needs to be confident.
The last time both teams faced each other was back in December. This was the only other time they had faced each other in fact. Doncic was unavailable during their previous matchup and obviously Kyrie’s trade happened much later. The Bulls won 144-115 as well. But tonight’s game will have a fairly different outcome if Doncic is available.