Is Kyrie Irving playing tonight? Latest injury update for Mavs vs. Nets

Today, the Dallas Mavericks take on the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets (20-29) are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference, while the Mavericks (27-23) sit eighth in the West. It will be the teams' second and final meeting of the season. Dallas leads the regular season series 1-0, beating Brooklyn 125-120 at home during their last contest. The Nets may have a hard time tying this series up though, especially if Kyrie Irving's healthy.

Kyrie Irving off of the injury report for tonight's game against Nets

The main question surrounding this non-conference matchup is whether Kyrie Irving will take the floor against his former team. After missing the Mavericks' last six games with a sprained right thumb, it appears Kyrie Irving is all clear to play again. During last night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Irving picked up right where he left off. He finished with a game-high 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. He logged 35 minutes, the second most on the team behind Doncic.

The Mavericks have struggled with injuries in the first half of the season, especially Kyrie. Prior to his recent six-game absence, Irving missed 12 games in mid-December with a right heel contusion. In fact, Irving has played in only 28 of the Mavs’ 50 games this season. The Mavs finished 16-12 in those games. 

In an interview with Dallas Mavericks reporter Dwain Price, Irving expressed his frustration with not being able to assist his teammates. "To be honest with you it’s one of the hardest things to do is sit on the sidelines," Irving said. "As a person that loves the game as much as I do, it gets harder and it gets tougher to sit more games. I want to be out there. That’s just where I stand with all this.”

Since Irving's absence from the lineup negatively affected the team's record (2-4 in the last six games), hopefully, Irving's return will help the team get back on track. As far as unstoppable scorers go, Luke and Kyrie are among the best in the league. On any given night, they can get you 40 points. At this point, even a 73-point performance isn't outside the realm of possibility. Bottom line — if that duo stays healthy, the sky is the limit for this Mavs team.