Are Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving playing vs. Spurs? Injury Reports Mavericks

When the Mavericks and Spurs meet again on Thursday in Dallas following the All-Star break, both teams will be looking to make a statement heading into the final quarter of the season.

Mavericks vs. Spurs Injuries: 2 Questionable, 6 Out

Thursday’s game is the first of six that Dallas will play at home. It is also the Spurs’ seventh straight game on the road, and they have lost the first six games of their annual Rodeo Road Trip.

The only time these two teams played this season, Dallas won 126-125 in Alamo City on December 31. Doncic scored 51 points in that game.

• Can we expect to see Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic on the court together?

The Mavericks are trying to move up in the Western Conference standings while getting used to their new player, Kyrie Irving. Irving was brought to Dallas to play with Luka Doncic and make the most of the last 22 games.

The Mavericks have lost their last three games in a row. Their most recent loss, 118-109 in Denver on February 15, dropped them to sixth in the West. Dallas is only 2 1/2 games behind Sacramento, which is in third place. They are also only two games ahead of Portland, which is in 12th place.

Since the trade, Doncic and Irving have only played together twice. During the All-Star break, they had time to get to know each other better.

Irving did not show up on the list of players who were hurt for Thursday’s game against the Spurs.

Irving will play on Thursday. He didn’t play in the Mavericks’ last game before the All-Star break because of tightness in his low back.

In his first four games with Dallas, the 30-year-old guard has averaged 28.3 points, 7.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 28.5 minutes.

Mavericks injuries:

• Maxi Kleber (Hamstring) – Out
• Davis Bertans (Calf) – Out

Kleber (hamstring) won’t play against the Spurs on Thursday, but he told ESPN.com’s Tim MacMahon on Wednesday that he’s “very close” to coming back.

Kleber went back to contact work before the All-Star break, and the hope was that he would be ready to play Thursday. But a right hamstring strain will keep him out of at least one more game, making it the 34th time in a row that he hasn’t played.

When he’s finally healthy enough to play again, the big man who can do a lot of things probably won’t be able to play as much, but he should be a key part of Dallas’ frontcourt when he’s fully back in the rotation.

Bertans, meanwhile, will miss his eighth straight game Thursday because he has strained his left calf. His next chance to play is Sunday against the Lakers, but there is no news about when he will be back.

• Today: LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Stephen Curry play on Thursday? Injury Reports Warriors – Lakers

The Spurs needed the week off because they had lost a franchise-worst 14 games in a row before the break. Even though the Spurs have lost 11 games in a row for the second time this season, they are not the worst team in the NBA. That dubious honor goes to Houston, which is only a half-game behind the Spurs.

Spurs injuries:

• Jeremy Sochan (Quadriceps) – Questionable
• Tre Jones (Foot) – Questionable
• Khem Birch (Knee) – Out
• Isaiah Roby (Ankle) – Out
• Devin Vassell (Knee) – Out
• Romeo Langford (Thigh) – Out

Birch will miss San Antonio’s first game after the All-Star break because he is still taking care of a knee injury he had before the break. It’s not clear when the big man with six years of experience will be ready to play for the Spurs for the first time, but his next chance will come Saturday in Utah.

Roby hurt his ankle in the Spurs’ last game before the break, and he still hasn’t fully healed.

Vassell hasn’t played since January 2 and is still recovering from knee surgery. On Wednesday, he was seen doing 3-on-3 work, but as expected, he’ll miss at least one more game.

Langford hasn’t played since late January because of pain in his left adductor. It’s not clear when he might come back.

Ty Jager of PoundingTheRock.com says that Sochan might not play Thursday against Dallas because his left quadriceps is hurting.

Sochan played in the Spurs’ last three games before the All-Star break. In 26.7 minutes per game, he averaged 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists.

NBA Regular Season Schedule