Mavericks, Pacers face off with depleted squads
The Dallas Mavericks limp into the closing stretch of a six-game road swing, sliding on a 10-game losing streak, as they head to Indianapolis for their fifth game of the odyssey against the Indiana Pacers.
Dallas fell to 0-4 on the road trip and remained winless since Jan. 22 with a 122-111 loss at Minnesota on Friday. The Mavericks, injury-plagued for much of the campaign, faced the Timberwolves without rookie sensation Cooper Flagg.
The No. 1 overall pick of last summer's draft, Flagg was on a tear, scoring 27-plus points in five of six games ahead of the All-Star break -- including a career-high 49 on Jan. 29 vs. Charlotte -- before sustaining a foot injury Feb. 10. He also missed Thursday's 124-104 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, though Dallas head coach Jason Kidd told reporters that Flagg is "day-to-day."
Flagg's uncertainty comes days after the organization announced nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving will not play this season. Irving had not appeared in the current campaign due to a knee injury but was not officially declared out for the season until Wednesday.
"This decision wasn't easy, but it's the right one," Irving said via a statement released by the Mavericks. "I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season."
Dallas appears all but eliminated from a postseason berth, sitting seven games behind Portland for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the Western Conference entering Saturday. The Mavericks have also undergone roster fluctuation amid their struggles, trading oft-injured former All-NBA big man Anthony Davis to Washington earlier this month.
Khris Middleton, who joined the Mavericks in the deal for Davis, scored a team-high 18 points on Friday.
With the Mavericks well behind the playoff pace in the West, Indiana's similar difficulties in the East likely ensure the last two NBA Finals runners-up will miss the postseason. The Pacers, last season's Eastern Conference champion, dropped to last place with a 131-118 loss to back-to-back losses at Washington on Thursday and Friday.
The consecutive setbacks bookended a six-game road trip for Indiana with defeats, sandwiching victories over the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks ahead of All-Star weekend.
The Pacers have dealt with a mountain of injuries this season, including the absences of Andrew Nembhard (back), Aaron Nesmith (ankle), and Pascal Siakam (personal) at Washington.
Indiana also dealt Bennedict Mathurin -- who at the time of his trade to the Los Angeles Clippers was averaging career bests of 17.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game -- for veteran center Ivica Zubac.
Zubac is dealing with an ankle injury and has no clear debut date set with the Pacers.
Indiana's roster instability has forced other players into prominent spots, including Kam Jones, who dished 11 assists in Friday's loss. Indiana also got 21 points off the bench from Quenton Jackson against the Wizards.
"He's doing some good things," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Jones. "You can see why our scouts and our front office are excited about him. He's got moxie, he's got (a) feel for the game. ... This is a great stretch for him, a great opportunity."