Luka Doncic was hands-down, brilliance personified yesterday. He is now tied with the legendary Bob McAdoo in the seventh position for the fewest games to reach the 10,000 points mark. Aside from that, Doncic also had a stunning night. Scoring 50 points, 15 assists, and six rebounds, he sent the Suns packing. His partner-in-crime, Kyrie Irving, was absent as he delivered this masterclass.

After this remarkable feat on-court, Irving remains out for the next game too. According to ESPN’s MacMahon, the latest injury report shows Irving ‘out’ for their Cavaliers matchup.

Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving’s latest injury reports

But the good news is that the 8x All-Star is “ramping up his on-court workouts”. Unfortunately, the report also lists Luka Doncic as questionable due to left quad soreness. The team already has other key players like Maxi Kleber and Josh Green also sidelined.

Kyrie Irving (right heel contusion) remains out vs. Cavaliers tomorrow. He has been ramping up his on-court workouts.

Luka Doncic (left quad soreness) is listed as questionable.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 26, 2023

Doncic played for 44 minutes on the court last night. December has been all about the increased workload for the Slovenian superstar. With Irving unavailable, Doncic carried his share of work as well. On average, “The Don” has played more than 40 minutes per game this month.

Not having the 4x All-Star and Irving on-court meant the Mavericks struggled like never before. It was only too apparent during Friday’s game against the Houston Rockets, where Dallas lost 96-122. A blowout loss. On a different note, why don’t we take a look at the injury timeline of Kyrie Irving?

Irving’s injury timeline

December 8th. The Mavs were facing off against a short-handed Portland Trail Blazers. Irving was off to a great start when Dwight Powell ended up stepping on his foot. In just 13 minutes of game time, the 2014 All-Star Game MVP had 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Although not in a wheelchair, as many exaggerated reports claimed, Irving did walk out of the arena painfully slow. But not before shooting a pair of free throws.

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The star guard was referred for an MRI scan and that was the first sign that he would miss at least a few games. Though the scan came back negative, his bruised right foot was diagnosed as a heel contusion. With no timetable released for his return, all everyone could hope was for a swift recovery.

But it was easier said than done. The Mavs have been regularly releasing updates on Irving’s injury, but there was still no possible date that mentioned his return. By December 12, MacMahon reported that the 31-year-old was using a protective walking boot and crutches as part of revamping.

Kyrie Irving (right heel contusion) is wearing a protective boot and using crutches, Jason Kidd said. No definitive timetable on when Irving will return.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 12, 2023

During his absence, Exum, Curry, and Hardaway have been seeing increased minutes on the floor. With the Cavaliers game also confirmed as a no-show for Kyrie Irving, the number of games he’s missed will become 10. But MacMahon’s latest update does provide more hope than the past few weeks.

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