Kyrie Irving's Status For Tonight's Game vs the Hawks Revealed

Atlanta faces Dallas tonight at 7:00

After being questionable for tonight's game vs the Hawks, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving was just ruled out for tonight due to a thumb injury. 

Kyrie Irving (thumb) listed out Friday.

— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) January 26, 2024

This hurts the Mavericks, but they still have Luka Doncic, who is putting together an MVP level season for Dallas. 

Clint Capela (left calf contusion), Bruno Fernando (left lower back spasms), Wesley Matthews (right calf strain), and Trae Young (NBA concussion policy) are all questionable.

Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), De’Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation), and Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation) are all out for Atlanta.

Despite having elite players like Doncic and Irving, the Mavs offense is not as elite as you might think. That does not mean that they are not good and effective, but that they are not at the top of the NBA in scoring. They are currently 8th in PPG, 17th in field goal percentage, 2nd in three-point attempts, 14th in three-point percentage, 13th in free throw attempts, 24th in rebounding, and 3rd in turnovers. This is a team that relies on Doncic and Irving to create open shots for them and they take a lot of three-pointers. If Capela plays tonight, he could have a chance to have a big night on the glass due to Dallas's weakness in rebounding.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Dallas is 11th in points per 100 possessions, 12th in effective field goal percentage, 3rd in turnover percentage, 26th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 17th in free throw rate.

Doncic is having an incredible season and is more than worthy of the All-Star starter selection he earned last night. He is averaging 33.6 PPG, 9.3 APG, and 8.5 RPG. He is a threat to score 50 points on any given night or post a triple-double.

Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

The Hawks offense is 6th in PPG, 24th in field goal percentage, 6th in three-point attempts, 19th in three-point percentage, 6th in free throw attempts, 8th in rebounding, and 18th in turnovers, Per Cleaning the Glass, they are 14th in points per 100 possessions, 21st in effective field goal percentage, 16th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate.

Given these numbers for the offenses, it is reasonable to think that tonight could be an offensive showcase for both teams, even without Irving tonight. 

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