Kyrie Irving and his new team, the Dallas Mavericks, will be taking on the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. Almost all NBA fans must be aware of the sudden trade between the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks. It happened within a day of Irving demanding a trade. By sending Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smtih, and two future draft picks to the Nets, the 29 wins and 26 losses Dallas Mavericks have now added Irving to the roster.
Irving did not play in the previous game for the Mavs against the Utah Jazz. He had to get his physicals and other kinds of examinations completed before joining his new team. Fans will certainly want to know whether Irving will play. That said, let us take a look at the injury reports and expected rosters in order to find out which stars will be missing from both sides for this game. By doing so, an expert prediction also holds more validity.
Kyrie Irving is expected to be available for the Brooklyn Nets vs Los Angeles Clippers game tonight
With the exception of a left calf strain, Irving looks quite healthy and is expected to play against Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Kyrie will be the newest addition to the Mavs, making this matchup all the more interesting.
Unfortunately for Mavs fans, Luka Doncic is not expected to play and is completely ruled out for this game. Some fans might remember that he sustained a heel injury and has missed the past few games for the Mavs. If Luka does not play, this might be a more Kyrie Irving-centered game. Assuming that he has already gained chemistry and practiced with his fellow Mavericks.
Now, we can find out more about the complete injury reports and expected rosters for this matchup between the Clippers and the Mavericks.
Dallas Mavericks injury report
- Luka Doncic
- Davis Bertans
- Maxi Kleber
- Frank Nitlikina
Dallas Mavericks expected roster
- Kyrie Irving
- Reggie Bullock
- Tim Hardaway Jr
- Dwight Powell
- Christian Wood
Los Angeles Clippers injury report
- John Wall
- Musa Diabate
Los Angeles Clippers expected roster
- Reggie Jackson
- Paul George
- Kawhi Leonard
- Norman Powell
- Ivica Zubac
As we can tell, the Mavericks are missing plenty of key starts like Doncic, Kleber, and Betans. On the other hand, both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George look healthy for the Clippers. Finally, here are the expert predictions for this matchup between the Mavs and Clippers.
The Clippers will be favored over the weakened Mavericks tonight
NBA fans will know that the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks have a recent rivalry in the NBA postseason. Both times they faced off in the playoffs, the Clippers ended up advancing thanks to Kawhi and PG. The only reason those playoff matches were competitive was that Doncic was playing at an elite level.
While Irving is certainly a transcendentally skilled player in his own right, he is yet to play in an official match with his new teammates. It is quite unlikely that he and the Mavericks are already adapted to each other. Moreover, that won’t even be possible till Luka Doncic returns to the court.
The Clippers are on a two-game winning streak, have the better record and both stars are healthy. These are the reasons we are siding with Kawhi Leonard and the squad for this game.
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