Kyrie Irving went back on the injury list on Oct. 27 with a knee tag, two days after he was cleared, and Sergio de Larrea slid from day-to-day to out. The 2-2 Mavericks still draw a 4-0 Thunder team missing Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace.
Irving's Knee Is Back
Irving carries a day-to-day knee tag and a projected return of tonight, so his status will likely go down to tipoff. De Larrea is the one Dallas has lost for sure: the rookie who poured in 21 against the Spurs is out with a right knee issue until at least Oct. 30. Naji Marshall's illness still has him listed day-to-day. Aldama, Caleb Martin and Tarik Biberovic are all listed out with a target of tonight.
Oklahoma City Arrives Thin
The Thunder have won four straight to open the season, but Holmgren, Williams, Caruso, Wallace, Nikola Topic, Thomas Sorber and Otega Oweh are out, and Ajay Mitchell is day-to-day. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not listed, and stopping him is the whole job. Mavs Moneyball framed tonight as upstart Dallas hosting an injury-riddled Oklahoma City. The Rockets come in on Oct. 30 in an Emirates NBA Cup game.
Cisse's Workload Tells the Story
With Lively out until Nov. 2 and Aldama still sidelined, Moussa Cisse is playing 26.0 minutes a night over the last five games, nearly twice his earlier share. Against a Thunder frontcourt without Holmgren, Dallas can live with that. The bigger question is who runs the offense if Irving sits. Cooper Flagg is cleared and just closed out Miami with 29 points and 11 assists, but a 19-year-old carrying the whole creation load against an unbeaten team is a big ask.
Is Kyrie Irving playing against the Thunder tonight?
Irving is listed day-to-day because of his knee, with a projected return date of Oct. 28. That makes him a game-time decision for tonight's ESPN game.
When will Lively return from his foot injury?
Lively is out with a right foot issue, and his projected return is Nov. 2. That is the home game against the Kings.
