Despite a slew of injuries, including to new acquisition Anthony Davis, the Dallas Mavericks have been somewhat competitive in recent games, notching a 111-107 victory over the new-look Golden State Warriors last night. In large part, their success can be attributed to newly-minted All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving — who replaced his teammate on Shaq’s OG’s. Last night, Irving scored 42 points and added seven assists.
Dallas will likely need Irving to have a big performance tonight against the Miami Heat, although the Heat are currently battling through their own injury issues, as Andrew Wiggins has been ruled out with an illness and Bam Adebayo is questionable with a knee injury. However, the Mavericks were dealt a big blow when Irving appeared on the injury report with a shoulder injury, deeming him questionable. His teammate, Klay Thompson, is also questionable with a foot injury.
In Irving’s absence, Dallas would likely start veteran Spencer Dinwiddie, who has averaged 10.3 points and 3.7 assists so far this season. Shooting guard Max Christie, who was acquired in the trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, would also likely see an increased role. Since joining the Mavericks, Christie is averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 54.5% from beyond the arc.
Dallas is a 1.5-point underdog at DraftKings Sportsbook (+102 Moneyline), with the point total set to 217.5.
