Mavs' Irving out with back sprain, could reportedly miss two weeks

Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks moves the ball down court against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Toyota Center on January 01, 2025 in Houston, Texas.
Alex Slitz/Getty Images/AFP

LOS ANGELES — Dallas star Kyrie Irving was listed as out for the Mavericks' NBA game at Memphis on Monday (Tuesday Manila time) with a lumbar back sprain amid reports he could be sidelined for up to two weeks.

ESPN reported the 32-year-old has a bulging disk in his back and is expected to miss one to two weeks.

"There is optimism that treatment over the coming days will provide a return-to-play target date," ESPN said, citing unnamed sources.

Irving was ruled out of Friday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers because of illness. He had missed a game at Sacramento the previous Monday with a sore shoulder.

The Mavs, the defending Western Conference champions, were already playing without superstar Luka Doncic, who suffered a left calf strain on Christmas Day, and have lost their last four games.

Irving, a former Rookie of the Year who won an NBA title with Cleveland in 2016, is averaging 24.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 30 games this season.

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