Sources: Mavs lose All-Star Irving to torn ACL
Written by I Dig Sports
Dallas Mavericks All-Star Kyrie Irving has suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee, sources told ESPN.
Irving, 32, sustained the injury late in the first quarter of the Mavericks' loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.
The injury is a devastating blow to the Mavericks' season, as Irving was the team's best overall player and appeared in 50 of the team's 62 games. Irving, who made his ninth NBA All-Star team in February, is the only NBA player this season averaging at least 20 points, 40% 3-point shooting and 90% from the free throw line. It's the fifth season in his 14-year career in which he has reached or surpassed those averages -- the second-most all time, trailing Golden State's Stephen Curry, according to ESPN Research.
Prior to Monday's game, Irving was averaging 39.3 minutes played over his past 10 games, a stretch that began right after the team dealt co-star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the most minutes per game by any player in the NBA from Feb. 4 to March 2.
Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season. He has a $43 million player option for the 2025-26 season, the final year of a three-year, $126 million deal he signed in 2023.
Following the news of Irving's season-ending injury, the Mavericks' NBA title odds dropped from 66-1 to 200-1 at ESPN BET.
Irving's diagnosis is the latest loss for a Mavs team already missing superstar Anthony Davis -- who left his only game with the team on Feb. 8 because of an adductor strain after being acquired from the Lakers in the Doncic trade -- as well as Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and Caleb Martin.
Dallas also lost reserve guard Jaden Hardy to a right ankle sprain midway through the third quarter.
The Mavericks fell to 32-30 after Monday's loss and are 3 games ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the 10th seed in the Western Conference standings.