The

Mavericks are in deep trouble. First, their performance was off, failing to meet expectations. Then came the injuries that sidelined the lifeblood of the team, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, forcing the heavy Dallas duties on the shoulders of the rest of the squad. Could it get any worse? Unfortunately, it just did, with the latest devastating update regarding the Slovenian star. However, that didn’t seem to have much affect on head coach Jason Kidd.

The fear finally came true. After missing the recent games because of his left calf strain, Doncic is now ineligible for the regular season awards. That means the Slovenian won’t be an All-NBA this season and more so misses out on the chance to win the NBA MVP as well. But basketball is a team game, so Kidd made sure to remind that to the dejected player before their game against the Nuggets on Sunday.

In the pre-game press conference, Kidd faced the inevitable question regarding his star man. Although he expressed empathy toward the injured player, the 51-year-old coach remained focused on the bigger goal—the championship title. “Unfortunately he’s not eligible to win the MVP, but it’s a team sport and understanding that we need him back to win the championship and so understanding that the individual awards will come, but we’re playing to win a championship and hopefully we can get him back soon,” Kidd told the reporters.

As we speak, Doncic is missing his 17th game of the season due to the league’s 65-game rule, which mandates that players must participate in at least that many games to qualify for the MVP race. With Doncic currently on a scheduled one-month rest to recover from his calf injury, he missed the ongoing game against Denver. With just 64 regular season games left, the official announcement has been made that he is now disqualified from MVP consideration.

It’s not much of a surprise, as it was already informed that Doncic would be missing a chunk of games this month. His on-court partner, Kyrie Irving, is also on the injury list, joining the 25-year-old in missing today’s matchup.

Kyrie Irving joins Luka Doncic on sidelines for Mavs vs. Nuggets game

After Luka Doncic’s absence, the team was hit with another shock when Kyrie Irving was deemed unfit to suit up. The veteran guard is dealing with a lumbar back sprain, which is expected to keep him sidelined for two weeks. He has already missed four previous games and this is his fifth one.

Both Doncic and Kyrie are the offensive engines for the Mavericks, often taking full charge on the court. Doncic has averaged 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists so far, while Irving contributed 24.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per night. So their absence hit the team hard. However, the Mavs seems to be finding a way to cope without them. They’ve won two straight games and are looking dominant against the Nuggets.

There has been no official confirmation on when both will be back on the hardwood, but if the Mavs can stay strong enough until their return, the team will be in a much better position. And perhaps what Doncic couldn’t achieve as an individual title could turn out to be their ultimate goal, the Larry O’Brien Trophy. One never knows.