Jason Kidd to Miss Dallas Mavs Road Game vs. Denver Nuggets
DENVER — The Dallas Mavericks already are dealing with injuries to Kyrie Irving and Maxi Kleber, and their status remains to be seen ahead of Friday's matchup against the Denver Nuggets. And now, the Mavs are already confirmed to be without a critical figure for the game, but it isn't one of the players on the roster.
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, Mavs coach Jason Kidd did not travel with the team to Denver due to a non-COVID illness. Dallas will have assistant coach Sean Sweeney fill in for Kidd at the front of the bench against the Nuggets.
Sweeney has been an assistant coach for the Mavs since 2021 and is known for his influence on the team's defense. Against a Nuggets team that boasts two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, along with Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and many other complementary talents, Sweeney will have a lot to manage.
The Mavs will need to determine how they will handle personnel combinations if Irving or Kleber end up having to miss Friday's game. The team has already started Josh Green in Irving's place in the two games he's missed. Dereck Lively II played the whole fourth quarter in the Mavs' win over the Chicago Bulls after Kleber went down with an injury and was ruled out from returning to action.
Dallas Mavs coach Jason Kidd during a timeout.
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Mavs went 2-2 against the Nuggets last season, but two of their early season matchups came when Jokic was among players sidelined due to COVID protocol. The Nuggets still managed to win one of those games. Dallas did defeat the Nuggets with Jokic, Gordon, and Murray in January by a narrow 116-115 final score, but this was before the Irving trade was made later in the season.
The final game of the Mavs' pre-All-Star break schedule last season was a 118-109 road loss, with Irving sidelined as Doncic finished with 37 points. The two sides have yet to play against each other, with both Doncic and Irving available, and it remains to be seen if there will be a need to wait longer for it to occur.
