Mavs coach Jason Kidd reveals that Kyrie Irving’s ‘soreness is growing’ and will miss Madrid game

The Mavericks are about to finish their 12-day international trip as they’ve already played two preseason matches against the Timberwolves in Abu Dhabi and are about to engage in their final game against Real Madrid this Tuesday.

As the Texan team prepares to clash against the EuroLeague giants at the WiZink Center today, coach Jason Kidd addressed Kyrie Irving‘s most recent injury that sidelined him against Minnesota last week.

“No, he’s out for tomorrow’s game,” the trainer said yesterday of his star player. “The soreness is still growing. He did some stuff today, but he will not participate tomorrow.”

After yesterday’s practice, Jason Kidd shared the latest on Kyrie Irving’s groin injury, previewed the Real Madrid match, and shared some goals for the team.

Here’s the latest on the Mavs in Madrid: https://t.co/arA1ht1YmO

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Despite losing their last match in Abu Dhabi, the Mavs have been reported to be satisfied with their performances so far and even feel confident in beating the Spanish team after a ‘great’ final practice on Monday.

“The guys have done a great job. We’ve started this trip to Abu Dhabi. They’ve done everything we’ve asked as coaches. They’re playing hard. We’ve got different lineups, and right now, we’ve had some injuries we have to address. I think the group is playing hard, and we had a great practice today,” Kidd expressed.

Luka Doncic, on the other hand, admitted he’s the happiest of them all to be able to face his former club, and admits he’s been waiting for it for months now. “Everyone is pleased to be here, and I’m the happiest. We’re in preseason, and it’s not going to be easy playing against Madrid,” he revealed.

The Dallas coach admitted feeling very excited for Luka to be able to compete against the team that propelled him to his NBA career

Kidd knows how important this Tuesday’s match against Real Madrid is for Luka Doncic, as this was the team that gave him a chance when he was still a teenager and went on to become a legend in a short period of time. This is an amazing opportunity to pay tribute to his former club and delight the fans.

“It’s exciting for Luka to come back home to be able to play where it all started,” he shared. “It’s a beautiful city. And I’m sure he’ll do his best. So, we’re good with him tomorrow.”

“I think we have to move the ball a little bit more. We’re just running too many pick-and-rolls,” Kidd explained his strategy. “We have to be able to move, play a little bit more out of the DHO, and stay away from the pick-and-rolls.”

According to the NBA legend and current Dallas coach, his team will need to stay active on keeping the offense in constant motion, and stressed the importance of winning rebounds.

“And then, defensively, we have to rebound the ball,” he insisted. “That’s something that we’ve been talking about since Day 1. We’re creating a lot of open 3s. We believe those will go down for us as we go forward.”