Recovering from an injury can be one of the most daunting tasks for an athlete. Depending on the severity of the injury, it can take a lot out of you emotionally and mentally, not just the physical aspect.
Some athletes seek solace in being alone during the recovery process, allowing themselves to focus completely on that. For some athletes, being around their teammates and seeing the players they go to war with every night can also be a motivator in its own way.
For the Dallas Mavericks, they have many athletes recovering from injury currently, but one just made his return. Anthony Davis returned to the lineup for the first time in over a month, finishing with 12 points and 6 rebounds in 27 minutes. Davis had an important teammate on the bench during the game as well.
Kyrie Irving Joins The Mavericks For Anthony Davis’ Return
Kyrie Irving is currently out for the rest of the season, and he’s been awaiting surgery on his torn ACL. While that’s an unfortunate set of circumstances, Irving managed to join the Mavericks on the bench during Davis’ return, offering a bit of a boost for a struggling Mavericks squad.
Irving, who was having an amazing season prior to the injury, was seen talking to his current teammates and former Brooklyn Nets teammate Cam Thomas at one point during the game.
Kyrie Irving is on the bench for tonight’s game in Brooklyn. He takes a moment during the first timeout of the game to meet Cam Thomas at midcourt. pic.twitter.com/an617WT9de
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) March 24, 2025
Irving’s presence seemed to be a boost for the Mavericks, as they would win their second game in a row. The Mavericks defeated the Nets 120-101, as they controlled the pace of the game throughout all four quarters.
Can The Mavericks Keep The Last Play-In Spot?
The Mavericks were sitting comfortably in the final play-in spot in the Western Conference until they went on a massive losing streak that knocked them down to the 11th seed. The Mavericks are now 35-37 and back in the 10th seed, pending the result of the Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks game.
Can the Mavericks hang on to that last play-in spot? The Suns are slowly beginning to surge so there could be challenges ahead for the Mavericks and their playoff hopes. Judging by the remaining schedule for both teams, it will be a fight to the finish. Both the Suns and Mavericks play a lot of current playoff teams in their final stretch.
Will Irving be on the Mavericks bench for any of the other upcoming games? Will the Mavericks and Anthony Davis be able to turn their injury misfortunes into a great story that leads to a playoff run? Time will tell.