It looked bad when it happened, Kyrie Irving was on the ground after a lay-up attempt when Dwight Powell fell on his leg.
Rough Injury for Kyrie Irving, hopefully it isn’t too serious 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/vvlYmp4I5Z
— ₅ (@RunWithFox) December 9, 2023
Fortunately for Irving, an MRI revealed this only to be only a bruised right heel. He is going to miss time (how much is unclear), the Mavericks announced.
The Dallas Mavericks announced today that an MRI revealed a right heel contusion for Kyrie Irving. Irving sustained the injury in the Mavericks’ game at Portland on Friday.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) December 9, 2023
Irving has returned to Dallas to begin treatment, and there is no timetable for his return at this time.
There’s no timeline for a return and it’s tough to judge that because we don’t know the details of the injury. As Jeff Stotts at In Street Clothes notes, it takes a lot longer to heal from a bone bruise compared to a soft tissue injury. Add onto the fact Irving has been dealing with right foot soreness all season already and he might get a little more time off to get right.
Re: Kyrie Irving: The term heel contusion is a bit vague as it can be used to describe multiple injuries including a bone contusion or a soft tissue contusion. The average time lost for nondescript heel contusions is 5.5 days (~2 games).
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) December 9, 2023
Interested to see the final diagnosis…
Irving has averaged 23 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game this season, and the 13-8 Mavericks are outscoring teams by 3.8 points per 100 possessions when Irving and Luka Doncic are both on the court.
