SAN FRANCISCO — The Dallas Mavericks regained Luka Doncic in the lineup after a one-game absence due to left quad soreness. He entered Saturday's game against the Golden State Warriors as questionable to play, with a pre-game workout to fully determine his availability.
The Mavs remain without Kyrie Irving in the lineup, who missed his 12th consecutive game after suffering a right heel contusion against the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 8 as a result of Dwight Powell landing on his leg.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd told reporters before the matchup against the Warriors that Irving had a "good workout" on Friday and "hopefully" he will be available to play during the team's road trip, or at least "early" during the seven-game homestand.
Maxi Kleber worked out before the Warriors matchup, marking the first time he's undergone a pre-game on-court workout since being sidelined with a right small toe dislocation that has kept him out since Nov. 8 when he worsened the injury by trying to play through it against the Toronto Raptors.
With Doncic recently beginning to sit out on at least one part of back-to-backs, the Mavs have faced increased struggles to stay afloat without Irving available to help take on more responsibility as a top option, going 5-7 in 12 games entering Saturday's game. With the competitive Western Conference landscape, the Mavs need every win possible to sustain positioning.
Irving and Kleber are the final players the Mavs still need to regain in the lineup after dealing with multi-game injuries for Dereck Lively II and Josh Green recently. The next chance for Irving to make a return will be on Monday when playing against the Utah Jazz, ending a three-game road trip.
The Mavs have faced limited opportunities to compete with Doncic, Irving, and Lively all available in the same game — a combination that has gone 10-4 together.
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