Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II received injury updates for the Mavericks' game on Monday against the Hornets.

Nets team, saying the Mavericks didn’t just win the swap that brought him to Dallas, but got the best deal in the NBA.

Dallas Mavericks face a challenge in their Monday game against the Charlotte Hornets due to key injuries. Kyrie Irving’s status is critical with Luka Doncic already ruled out. Despite playing a weaker Hornets team,

Irving is listed on the injury report as he continues to deal with a lumbar back sprain. Meanwhile, Dereck Lively II (right ankle sprain), Luka Doncic (left calf strain) and Dante Exum (right wrist surgery) are all out for Friday's game. It is worth noting that Mavs head coach Jason Kidd previously said he expects Irving to play on Friday.

Even without important pieces like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Dereck Lively II, both teams' role players simmered the beef between the ball clubs. The usually well-mannered Thunder were hit with multiple technical fouls. PJ Washington continued to poke the bear.

That decision forced the Thunder to stick close to the Mavericks' role players throughout the first quarter. Once Washington scored the first five points, Irving asserted himself and drained a 3-pointer before finishing at the basket with a finger roll to give the Mavericks an early 10-0 lead.

In a recent interview, Kyrie Irving described his trade from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks as a victory.

The Dallas Mavericks travel to New Orleans and face the Pelicans on Wednesday evening. Dallas is playing on the second night of a back-to-back after a 118-99 lo

Dallas guard Kyrie Irving is expected to miss one to two weeks with a bulging disk in his back, and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said a timeline for his return was not immediately known.

Dallas improved to 23-19 while Oklahoma City remain top of the West with a 34-7 record. Read more at straitstimes.com.