2024-01-02 04:02:01
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Kyrie Irving returned to action for the Dallas Mavericks against the Utah Jazz on Monday night after a 12-game absence with a right heel bruise.
Irving had been absent since injuring his heel against Portland on Dec. 8 and the Mavericks went 6-6 during his absence.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said Irving will not have a minutes restriction. The plan is to reacclimate him to his normal routine enough to ease the burden Luka Doncic has had without Irving.
Doncic is averaging 37.1 minutes per game on the season, nearly three minutes higher than his career average.
“That helps when you have (Irving) coming back and you have more bodies,” Kidd said. “We would like to reduce (Doncic’s) minutes, but if you ask him, he will tell you that he is fine the way he is. So we’re going to figure it out.”
Irving is averaging 23.0 points and 5.2 assists in 17 games this season. He has struggled to stay healthy, missing a total of 16 games so far due to various physical issues. Before the heel injury, Irving missed three games with a foot injury in November and missed one game with a sore foot in early December.
Irving’s return on the first day of 2024 gives Kidd optimism that Dallas is close to regaining health on its roster.
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