MILWAUKEE — (AP) — Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd took issue Wednesday with media speculation that Kyrie Irving’s heavy workload over the last month led to the nine-time All-Star’s season-ending knee injury.
Irving tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Monday in the first quarter of a 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Irving was fouled by DeMar DeRozan on a drive to the basket and his right foot landed on the foot of the Kings' Jonas Valanciunas.
"It's a freak accident," Kidd said before the Mavericks' 137-107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. "That's how it should be reported. But we're not reporting it right. We're reporting on conspiracy theories."
The 32-year-old Irving was averaging 36.1 minutes per game to rank 12th in the NBA heading into Wednesday's action. His workload had increased in the month since the Mavericks traded five-time all-NBA guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
He had played at least 40 minutes in each of his first five games after the trade. Irving averaged 39.3 minutes per game in February.
“He invited that,” Kidd said. “He wanted that. But are we reporting that? Are we? No, we’re not reporting that. We’re reporting that we’re running someone into the ground. That’s not true. That’s his job, is to play. And he loves to play.
“And it’s all right to play 40 minutes at the age of 32, in a month’s span. This isn’t the whole season, right? I think sometimes we’re taking things a little bit too far, or we’re not really telling the truth because we want the likes or the hearts, or we want somebody to put us up on this platform of not telling the whole truth. Because it was a freak accident. It happened early in the game. We should be promoting our athletes, our players to play more minutes and play more games, but are we? Probably not.”
Irving's injury ended a banner season in which he averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists while making just over 40% of his 3-point attempts.
“That was really a gut punch, not just for Dallas and the Mavericks, but for basketball fans around the globe," Mavericks teammate Klay Thompson said after Wednesday's game. “Kyrie's been our rock this year. It's like an unfillable void. We've got to rally around him and we've got to play hard for him.
"That one hurt, though.”
Irving's injury was the latest setback for the Mavericks, who already had lost 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis to a groin injury in his Dallas debut last month following the trade that sent Doncic to the Lakers.
Dallas is 10th in the West, putting the Mavericks on track for the final spot in the play-in tournament preceding the playoffs.
The Mavericks had only eight players available against the Bucks due to all their injuries. Dallas' starting lineup included Max Christie, Spencer Dinwiddie, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson and Dwight Powell. Thompson led the Mavericks with 28 points.
Mavericks unavailable for Wednesday’s game included Irving, Davis, Kai Jones (quadriceps strain), Dante Exum (bruised right foot), Jaden Hardy (sprained right ankle), P.J. Washington Jr. (sprained right ankle), Daniel Gafford (sprained right knee), Caleb Martin (strained right hip) and Dereck Lively II (stress fracture in right ankle).
“We're human,” Thompson said of the adversity facing the Mavericks. “It's very hard. You have to find joy in playing the game and playing for one another. Your character is revealed during the toughest times. It's easy to be high and mighty when you're winning games and you're feeling great.
"The true test of your character is when things don't go your way.”
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