‘It Is Coming Soon’: Sergio De Larrea Remains Out For Dallas Mavericks As Dusty May Points To Next Week For Knee Reevaluation
DALLAS — Sergio De Larrea is still wearing a brace on his right leg and will miss a sixth straight game Sunday when the Dallas Mavericks host the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Center. Mavericks coach Dusty May said before the 6:30 p.m. CT tip-off that he believes the rookie guard’s next reevaluation comes next week.
On Oct. 30, May said De Larrea would be reevaluated the following week. That window has now passed without a return, and May said Sunday that the rookie has been working in the weight room and that he gets an update on him every day.
“I think it’s next week, to be honest,” May said. “It’s coming soon. I know I get the updates every day. I know he’s worked. I know he looks stronger. He’s been in the weight room. He’s still got a brace on his leg. Other than that, I really couldn’t tell you. But it is coming soon.”
Sergio De Larrea Sprained His Knee On An Inbound Pass At Miami
De Larrea went down early in the second quarter of Dallas’ 113-109 win at the Miami Heat on Oct. 26, falling hard while trying to catch an inbound pass. He was scoreless on one shot in 5 minutes, 40 seconds before the Mavericks ruled him out for the night with a right knee sprain. May said afterward that De Larrea would have imaging the next day.
“I don’t know what it is,” May explained. “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. Very unfortunate, like all these injuries.”
The Mavericks went 3-2 without him over the next five games, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center while losing at home to the Sacramento Kings and on the road at San Antonio. Dallas also ruled out Dereck Lively II and Tarik Biberović for Sunday. Lively is recovering from right foot surgery, and Biberović has heel bursitis.
De Larrea’s Start Before The Knee Sprain
The Mavericks acquired De Larrea’s draft rights at No. 25 in a four-team trade on draft night in June and signed him July 3. He made his NBA debut in the Oct. 21 opener at Houston with 2 rebounds and 1 assist.
Three nights later, De Larrea scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 3-of-4 from three-point range, with 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 33 minutes in a 122-106 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs. He became the second Mavericks rookie to score 20 or more points on 60% shooting within his first three games. He was also the first rookie born in Spain to post 20 points and 5 rebounds in a game since Zaccharie Risacher.
Through four games, De Larrea is averaging 5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 11.5 minutes while shooting 50% from the field and 60% from three. Two-way guard Walter Clayton Jr. has averaged 7.6 points and 3.0 assists off the bench and matched his career high with 20 points against Sacramento on Nov. 2, and Marcus Sasser is averaging 6.1 points while shooting 39.1% from three.
Dallas hosts the Indiana Pacers on Monday at 7 p.m. CT to finish a back-to-back before a three-game road trip to Minnesota, Cleveland, and Boston.
