The Dallas Mavericks have shot the basketball without Kyrie Irving in the lineup. The star guard Irving went down hard with a torn ACL back on March 3. He's since undergone the knife.
The Mavs received good news involving Irving. ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reports the NBA champion underwent successful surgery on his left knee.
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The Mavs have gone 23 days playing without Irving. He settled for 50 total games for Dallas. Irving averaged 24.7 points per game including shooting 47.3% from field goal range. He also made 40.1% of this three-point attempts.
Irving's last game was that March 3 contest against the Sacramento Kings. He played only nine minutes before the injury occurred. Irving delivered a 31-point outing against the Milwaukee Bucks two night prior to the knee ailment.
Kyrie Irving displayed emotional moment
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) reacts after shooting against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at American Airlines Center.
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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Irving's ACL tear wasn't the lasting image from him. He displayed an emotional moment that resonated across the NBA and sports world.
Irving spilled tears as he went to the free throw line after his injury. He hit not one, but both shots from the white stripe. Irving himself described the emotional moment via his Twitch page on March 8.
“I could just sense that my body was in shock,” Irving shared.
But Irving flashed back to the time the late Kobe Bryant pulled something similar. Bryant tore his ACL on April 12, 2013 against the Golden State Warriors. But Bryant stayed in to shoot his free throw attempts, hitting both. Bryant eventually left the game and his season ended.
Irving's moment occurred before the 12-year anniversary of that Bryant ACL shot. He's since watched Dallas try to stay in the race for the Western Conference playoffs.
The Mavs sit at 35-38 overall and at 11th place in the conference standings. They're 23-25 against the western franchises. Dallas has nine total regular season games left — starting with the Orlando Magic on Thursday.