Kyrie Irving Ruled Out vs. San Antonio Spurs As Dallas Mavericks Announce Morez Johnson Jr. Minutes Restriction
DALLAS — Kyrie Irving will not play in the Dallas Mavericks’ home opener Saturday night against the San Antonio Spurs. After listing him as questionable and then doubtful earlier in the day, the Mavericks ruled him out with left knee injury management.
Rookie Morez Johnson Jr. will play on a minutes restriction. Johnson had been upgraded to probable with right shin splints on the team’s previous report.
Along with Irving, Dallas will be without Cooper Flagg (left shoulder sprain), Santi Aldama (right knee surgery), Tarik Biberović (right heel bursitis), Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery), and Caleb Martin (right thumb sprain). Tip-off is 7 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center on the second night of a back-to-back.
Kyrie Irving Sits The Second Night Of A Back-To-Back
Irving played 23:45 in Wednesday’s opener at Houston and 24:55 in Friday’s 121-105 win at Indiana, where he scored 24 points before fouling out for the first time in his career. He tore his left ACL in March 2025.
Before the Indiana game, Mavericks coach Dusty May confirmed that Irving is on a minutes restriction. Planning around it changes how Dallas can use its rotation, May said.
“We spoke about it a couple times and obviously leaning on his feedback and what his expectations are certain parts of the game and being flexible and discussing [with] him how to get him in the best rhythm. But anytime you’re on a minute restriction, you can’t roll out your normal rotations and flow,” May said. “And so once again, it’s a collaborative effort between the staff [and] then also with the guys that are in with them. And then also how we stagger his minutes so we don’t have that long drought that we had.”
Naji Marshall And Marcus Sasser At Point Guard
When Irving fouled out with 4:23 left Friday, Naji Marshall and Marcus Sasser handled the point the rest of the way. Irving said afterward that the two did “a great job of just settling us in.”
Sasser scored 17 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three in the opener at Houston. Before Friday’s game, May called him one of the bright spots from that loss.
“Sass was a real bright spot. Other than the shots going in, he played well. I thought he defended. He had good energy,” May explained. “He took what the game presented, and obviously the guys trust him, we trust him. He’s a good player, so it’s great to have him back.”
Off the bench at Indiana, Marshall finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. P.J. Washington said Marshall does a little bit of everything.
“It’s great. He comes in and he does everything for us. He rebounds, he passes the ball, he creates offense, he gets in the lane. He’s a beast on both [ends],” Washington said. “So you need guys like that on your team that are just dogs and willing to fight each and every night.”
Morez Johnson Jr.’s Minutes Restriction
In 16:49 at Indiana, Johnson scored 8 points with 6 rebounds, and Dallas outscored the Pacers by 21 points while he was on the floor. The ninth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft had 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 fouls in 13:50 in his debut at Houston.
Johnson played for May at Michigan before Dallas drafted him in June. Washington expects an up-and-down first season from the rookie.
“He’s gonna be really big for us this season. I love playing with Rez. He can rebound, he can defend, he can switch one to five. He talks very well for a rookie, and he’s a sponge,” Washington explained. “He’s trying to learn each and every day. And he’s doing his part. Obviously, he’s gonna have an up-and-down year as a rookie. A lot of games, and I’m super excited we got him on our team, for sure.”
An MRI on Saturday revealed a mild left shoulder sprain for Flagg, who will be re-evaluated next week. After the Spurs game, the Mavericks visit the Miami Heat on Monday.
