Kyrie Irving was upgraded from out to day-to-day with a left knee issue on Sunday morning. The injury report lists Oct. 26 as his expected return, the night the Mavericks play at Miami.
What happened
The Mavericks moved Irving from out to day-to-day on the injury report posted Sunday, Oct. 25, at 9:48 a.m. ET. The designation is a left knee issue, listed as knee, leg, left. The report gives an expected return of Oct. 26. Irving was out for Saturday's game against the Spurs. The report comment, citing Christian Clark of The Athletic, says that absence was due to rest. His status changed several times Saturday, bouncing between out and day-to-day, with both rest and the knee listed as reasons. Dallas has not announced anything beyond the report entry.
What it means for the Mavericks
Dallas plays at the Heat on Monday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV. The Mavericks are 1-2, 12th in the standings, and have lost their last game. Irving has played two games this season and averages 19.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 24.3 minutes. Dallas is 1-1 with him and 0-1 without him. In that one game without him, P.J. Washington played 33.3 minutes and scored 14.0 points. Max Christie played 30.7 minutes and Zaccharie Risacher 30.2. Cooper Flagg scored 23.0 points in 24.9 minutes, but Flagg is now out with a left shoulder injury. Caleb Martin, Tarik Biberovic, Dereck Lively II and Santi Aldama are also out.
What to watch
The next injury report should settle whether Irving is available at Miami. The current report lists Oct. 26 as his expected return, but a day-to-day tag does not guarantee he plays. Watch his minutes if he does, since he has averaged 24.3 so far. Dallas is also missing five other players, including Flagg, so the rotation could change again. The Heat game on NBA TV is the next test for a Mavericks team trying to end a one-game losing streak.
Is Kyrie Irving playing at the Heat on Monday?
It is not announced. Irving is day-to-day with a left knee issue, upgraded from out. The injury report lists Oct. 26, the day of the Heat game, as his expected return.
When will Kyrie Irving be back?
The injury report lists an expected return of Oct. 26. Dallas plays at Miami that night at 7:30 p.m. ET. He is day-to-day, so no firm timeline beyond that is announced.