Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks will be taking on the Sacramento Kings tonight. As there are only a few games left in the NBA season, the Mavs are surprisingly one of the teams who are outside contention for the NBA postseason. They hold a record of 37 wins and 42 losses, giving them the 11th position in the Western Conference.
One of the other surprises this season, albeit in a positive way, is the Sacramento Kings who have been playing exceptionally well and are in the 3rd spot with a record of 48 wins and 31 losses. The addition of Domontas Sabonis to the roster might be the most underrated trade decision this season and the Kings’ success proves it.
As both these teams get ready to face off, fans should want to know about the availability status and expected rosters for both sides. After all, that will aid in making an expert prediction for this match.
Kyrie Irving is listed as probable for the Dallas Mavericks vs Sacramento Kings game tonight
Things look quite grim for the Dallas Mavericks. Despite having two extremely talented players on their roster in Irving and Doncic, they are unable to win games and improve their record. Several analysts have blamed the lack of defense that the team plays as a reason for their failure. They have lost to teams that would be considered singingly worse like the Charlotte Hornets.
In any case, this appears to be a win-or-go-home situation for the Mavs. They are only one game behind OKC for the 10th spot in the conference. If they win their final three games, it is still possible for the Thunder to get knocked out.
Unfortunately, both Irving and Doncic don’t seem to be healthy for this game with foot and thigh injuries respectively. If they do not play, the rest of their team will have to step up and get this win. That said, here are the injury reports and expected rosters for this match.
Dallas Mavericks injury report
- Kyrie Irving (probable)
- Luka Doncic (questionable)
Dallas Mavericks expected roster
- Kyrie Irving
- Reggie Bullock
- Tim Hardaway Jr
- Dwight Powell
- Christian Wood
Sacramento Kings injury report
- Matthew Dellavadova (out)
Sacramento Kings expected roster
- De’Aaron Fox
- Keegan Murray
- Harrison Barnes
- Malik Monk
- Domontas Sabonis
As we can tell, the injury reports indicate that both Donic and Irving might not play. On the other hand, the Kings look quite healthy for this game but will be missing their backup veteran point guard Matthew Dellavadova. Now, let us take a look at the expert predictions for this game.
The Mavs are still slightly favored over the Kings tonight
Although this is still expected to be a very close game, we think that the Mavericks will end up winning it. Their backs are against the wall and this might just be one of their last games for this season. All they can do is desperately fight and win against the Kings while praying that the OKC Thunder ends up losing.
Another advantage for the Mavericks is that they will be playing the Kings at home tonight. All fans know how the home court arena influenced a game when compared to a hostile road crowd. These are the reasons we are siding with the Mavs for tonight’s match against the Kings.