Kyrie Irving Re-Aggravates Big Toe/Right Foot

In the loss against the Memphis Grizzlies, star Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving re-aggravated his big toe/right foot. It was the same injury that sidelined him for three games earlier in the month. Kyrie spoke about his injury post-game and hopes he can return earlier than expected.

Kyrie Irving says he re-aggravated his big toe injury and that his walking boot is "just precautionary." He was worried about his ankle being sprained, but it was determined not to be. He will "exhaust all my options possible to play" on Wednesday against the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/L60WXJ9tMA
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) March 21, 2023

In the post-game, Irving talked about the injury and was seen in a walking boot. He mentioned that the boot was just "precautionary." Also, he confirmed that he would "exhaust all his options" in order to play on Wednesday night against the Warriors. Interestingly enough, the big toe in the right foot is the same injury he suffered at Duke that forced him to miss the rest of his collegiate season.

Irving went down in the third quarter of the game last night. Dillon Brooks of the Grizzlies stepped on the right foot of Irving who was fighting through a Dwight Powell screen. He would leave the court but would eventually return to finish the game. However, it seems like it bothered him throughout the rest of the second half and specifically in the fourth quarter. Irving would miss all eight of his shots.

Dillon Brooks stepped on the back of Kyrie Irving's foot. pic.twitter.com/QU9hEeyPv1
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) March 21, 2023

The Mavericks have been without Luka Doncic, who has missed the last five games due to a thigh injury. They cannot afford to have Irving out as well. Dallas is currently in the seventh seed in a very competitive Western Conference. Only two games separate the fourth and eighth seed. In order to avoid the play-in the Mavericks need to squeeze into the sixth seed.

When the Mavericks acquired Irving, they hoped to pair him with star player Doncic to make them more competitive. With both players suffering from lingering injuries, Dallas is hoping they can recover fast enough to be ready for the playoffs.