Is Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving playing vs. Pelicans? Latest injury update

The Dallas Mavericks are set to play the New Orleans Pelicans on the road in the second of a back-to-back on Wednesday night. They were defeated 118-99 by the Denver Nuggets at home on Tuesday night. Although it was a difficult defeat, it was encouraging to see Kyrie Irving make his return from injury. So is Irving playing in the second of a back-to-back on Wednesday?

Following Tuesday’s game, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said he is hoping Irving can be available. Irving echoed a similar sentiment while speaking to reporters, saying that he plans to play against the Pelicans.

Kyrie Irving says he expects to play tomorrow #MFFL pic.twitter.com/JYGuv0bL5V

— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) January 15, 2025

Kyrie Irving’s injury status vs. Pelicans

Irving, who had not played in the Mavs’ previous five games before Tuesday due to a lumbar back sprain, seemingly has a realistic chance of playing on Wednesday night. With that being said, Irving’s injury status has not yet been announced as of this story’s writing.

Kyrie finished the game on Tuesday with 11 points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists. It was not his best outing of the season by any means, but the fact that he was able to play was important. Kidd addressed Irving’s play after the game.

“I thought he was fine,” Kidd said of Irving. “Got great looks. Some of those that he normally makes he did not make tonight… Out for five games… It was good to have him back.”

The Mavs are now 22-18 overall, while the Pelicans are just 9-32. New Orleans currently holds the worst record in the Western Conference. Dallas fell to sixth in the West with the defeat on Tuesday. Perhaps the Mavs will start earning wins at a more consistent rate as Irving adjusts to returning. It is worth noting that Luka Doncic isn’t expected to return until late January at the earliest, and he could be out even longer than that.

The Mavericks and Pelicans will go head-to-head on Wednesday night at 8 PM EST. So is Kyrie Irving playing tonight vs. the Pelicans? The answer is currently uncertain.

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