‘Fun Puzzles To Put Together’: Kyrie Irving Available, Naji Marshall Out As Dallas Mavericks Host Unbeaten Oklahoma City Thunder

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving and Caleb Martin are available for the Dallas Mavericks against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, while five players, including Naji Marshall and Sergio De Larrea, are out, according to the team’s status update. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center.

Irving was listed as questionable with left knee injury management on Tuesday’s initial report. He played 32 minutes, 40 seconds in Monday’s 113-109 win at the Miami Heat and finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in his third game back from a torn ACL.

Before Wednesday’s game, Mavericks coach Dusty May confirmed that Irving would play. May also pointed to how Irving handled a mistake by rookie Morez Johnson Jr. in Miami.

“Yes, Kyrie’s playing,” May said.

“Well, first and foremost, how intentional he is with everything that he does. His rehab, his planning, he’s as meticulous as anyone in the NBA as far as their day-to-day processes, as I can imagine, but he’s played well,” May explained. “The thing that I’ve been, I use the word blown away a lot, but you don’t know what to expect from these guys. The grace that he’s coached these younger players with has been something that I can’t, I haven’t seen even at the college level.”

“In the heat of the battle, players get frustrated with other players, especially when a mistake happens or it looks like it could be their fault. The great example was Morez didn’t complete a pass … at Miami. And Morez is a young guy who’s making his way into the league, obviously has no restrictions and hasn’t practiced much and some of those things that go with it, and immediately as soon as Miami dunked the ball to the other end, he dapped him up and immediately started giving him constructive coaching,” May continued. “And there was no frustration. It was simply about how do we get this fixed for the next time and to help the young fella grow. And so I can list 100 examples of that, and I’m not sure that’s all that common in today’s game, in society.”

Martin is available after missing Monday’s game with a right thumb sprain. He was also listed as questionable on Tuesday.

The Thunder are 4-0 after beating the Phoenix Suns 125-114 on Monday. Wednesday’s game opens a three-game homestand for Dallas (2-2).

Cooper Flagg missed Saturday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs with a left shoulder injury and returned Monday with 29 points. Before that game, May said the shifting lineup will ask Dallas’ young players to adjust from one night to the next.

“That’s kind of what’s gonna make this team unique until we get our whole lineup. Each game is gonna look different from an opponent standpoint, but also different from our locker room, with the minute restrictions and this guy’s out this game,” May said before Monday’s game. “And those young guys have to be prepared to maybe take a backseat one game and then have a much, much greater role the next. And that’s going to be a fun challenge. And those are fun puzzles to put together when you have guys who are as eager to learn as [De Larrea].”

Naji Marshall And Sergio De Larrea Out Against The Oklahoma City Thunder

Marshall also missed Monday’s game in Miami with an illness. He was listed as questionable on Tuesday’s initial report.

De Larrea, a rookie, sprained his right knee early in the second quarter Monday when he fell trying to catch an inbound pass, and he did not return. Two days earlier, he scored 21 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists against the Spurs.

“I don’t know what it is. He’ll have some imaging tomorrow, but obviously concerned because he’s such a tough kid, but whatever it is, we’ll be here to support him and get through it,” May said Monday. “Very unfortunate, like all these injuries. You look around the NBA and the first thing you think of when there’s an injury is just how much time these guys spend to get their bodies right and how much time they’re gonna have to spend just to get back to playing the game that they love to play. And so hopefully it’s minor, but we’ll know sooner than later.”

Dallas has not announced a timeline for De Larrea’s return.

Santi Aldama, Tarik Biberović, And Dereck Lively II Remain Out

Santi Aldama (right knee surgery) and Tarik Biberović (right heel bursitis) were listed as doubtful on Tuesday’s initial report and have been ruled out. Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) is out again, and all three also missed Monday’s game in Miami.

With Marshall and De Larrea out, the other guards who played for Dallas in Miami were Max Christie, two-way guard Walter Clayton Jr., and Marcus Sasser. Clayton scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench, and Christie added 11.

Clayton played 11 minutes, 15 seconds after halftime in Miami, while Sasser did not play in the second half. May said before Wednesday’s game that Sasser had a small ailment Monday.

“And we have a team that’s so deep now. But with Sergio out, Sass didn’t look like he had his burst. And he had a small ailment. And so I asked Walt a couple minutes into the game, are you going to be ready to go tonight? And he just kind of looked at me like, you really need to ask?” May said. “And so that gave me even greater confidence.”

After Wednesday, the Mavericks host the Houston Rockets on Friday and the Sacramento Kings on Monday.