Hawks' Trae Young Cleared to Return vs. Mavs; Kyrie Irving Ruled Out

The Mavs will face the Hawks with Trae Young returning to the lineup after a two-game absence caused by being placed in the NBA's concussion protocol.

ATLANTA — The Dallas Mavericks ruled out various players before playing the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, including Kyrie Irving (right thumb sprain), Dwight Powell (left eye corneal abrasion), and Maxi Kleber (right small toe dislocation). 

The Hawks will regain superstar Trae Young in the lineup after he had missed the two previous games due to being placed into the NBA's concussion protocol. Hours before Atlanta faced off against the Mavs, he was cleared to return to competition after beginning the day as questionable to play. 

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Young, who has averaged 26.9 points, 10.8 assists, and 3.0 rebounds, was not named one of the five All-Star starters from the Eastern Conference when the results were announced on Thursday night. He will pose a significant challenge for the Mavs. 

In 10 games played against the Mavs in Young's career, he's averaged 20.2 points, 9.9 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. His most recent performance was a 132-130 overtime victory on April 2, when he recorded 24 points, three rebounds, and 12 assists in 41 minutes. 

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The Hawks listed Clint Capela (left calf contusion) and Wesley Matthews (right calf strain) as questionable to play on their injury report, but like Young, they were all cleared to return to competition. 

With this matchup being part of NBA Rivals Week, observers can watch Luka Doncic and Young, two of the top five selections in the 2018 NBA Draft, compete again. Both players were involved in the same trade on draft night.