Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving returned to the court after a 12-game absence in Monday’s 127-90 road loss to the Utah Jazz.
The 13-year guard scored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out four assists in his return, trailing only Luka Doncic and Jaden Hardy on the Mavericks’ stat sheet. Yet, it was not enough as Dallas struggled again defensively, and Utah’s Simone Fontecchio and Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz to a blowout victory.
“I was excited to get back out there,” Irving told the media postgame. “It’s a long time coming for the last few weeks. Just trying to ease my way back into the flow of things, the rhythm of our team, and playing well.
“I feel like we dropped some games we could’ve won, but we’re in a good spot right now, and I didn’t want to come in and step on anyone’s toes for my first game back. Just wanted to get a feel of going up and down [the court] and see how my heel feels and then just work through the mental side of things being away from the game. … It’s an adjustment once you’ve had that type of injury.”
Irving had been out of the lineup since suffering a heel injury against the Portland Trail Blazers on December 8 and was not sure how long it would keep him sidelined.
“This is the first time in my career I’ve had this type of injury, and it was unique,” he explained. I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be out. There was no structural damage done to it, but it was achy. … You realize that the injury is a lot more severe when you can’t get your other shoe on. I’m appreciative of the hard work that our medical staff put in with me, and my teammates trusting that I can be on the sideline and they can carry us.”
“[I’m] disappointed because I wanted to come back and get a win with my guys,” Irving added, “but it was just one of those nights for us where we didn’t start off the game very physical, and you could tell that this game had a little more energy for them.”
Irving’s injury was one of the latest among a whole slew of injuries Dallas has had to endure this season, and he is one of several critical players to miss extended time. Still, the team is in a competitive position in the Western Conference, and no one is expecting opponents to take them lightly.”
“We’ve had some unexpected injuries and things of that nature, but we can’t make an excuse for ourselves,” Irving said. “We’re in the Western Conference, and teams are not going to take it easy on us.”
The Mavericks (19-15) will look to get back on track with back-to-back home games against the Portland Trail Blazers (9-23) at the American Airlines Center at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Friday.
