Dallas’ air was much thinner lately. Picture seeing Kyrie Irving, a player who you know you can rely on and who is capable of altering the entire direction of a game with a flick of the wrist, lose. That is what Mavericks fans saw when they hosted the Kings on Monday evening. As Irving, with his own flair behind the wheel, ran into Jonas Valan
iūnas, there was a unified scream that resounded throughout the arena. What gave people chills was not the initial contact, but rather the horrific vision of his left knee twisting in an abnormal fashion.

He remained in the game, a credit to his toughness, to attempt those free throws. Every gimpy step, aided by Anthony Davis and team personnel, was a reminder of the fragility of a season already beset by maladies. The quick diagnosis of a left knee sprain verified the worst fears. A stark reminder of the delicate nature of professional sports, it was reminiscent of Kobe Bryant’s stubborn, but painful, walk to the line with a ruptured Achilles.

The Mavericks, clinging to the tenth position in the West with a 32-30 record, are now left to deal with the uncertainty. A knee sprain, as much as it appears less dire than other ailments, has a broad range of recovery periods. For a club struggling tooth and nail for a playoff spot, any loss of Irving, averaging 25 points per game, casts a long shadow.

“Nothing but unlucky. I hope he’s okay and it’s not serious,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd expressed the universal sentiment. “The injuries we’ve sustained this season, guys are attempting to keep it together to get other bodies in. And it just appears each time we’re close to getting a body back, someone gets hurt. We’re short on bodies here, but guys keep battling.” Kidd’s words echoed with a tone of fatigue, an expression of a team forever struggling against the currents of adversity.

The injury report is a casualty list. Davis, who was obtained with great expectation in the Luka Donić trade, is still out with a groin strain. Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II are also recovering from illnesses. PJ Washington, who left Saturday’s game with an ankle problem, missed Monday’s game. And Caleb Martin, a trade deadline pickup, has yet to appear in a game because of a hip strain.

There is a glimmer of hope with Davis, Lively, and Gafford set to be re-evaluated on Thursday. The possibility of Davis’s return has been a light in the darkness during this chaotic time. But the timing couldn’t be worse. The idea of him coming back just as Irving might be going to the bench is a sinking feeling. It’s almost as if it’s a sad joke of fate, an endless re-shuffling of the deck without promise of a winning hand.The Donić trade, which was intended to boost the team’s fortunes, is now but a distant recollection, drowned out by the team’s ever-growing injury woes. The early optimism has given way to urgency, a plaintive cry for respite from the never-ending string of setbacks.

The Mavericks are fighting not only against their opponents on the court but also against their bodies, against the unpredictable capriciousness of injuries. They’re an on-the-brink team, holding onto hope that things will change for them soon. They’re wishing that Irving’s sprain is a small deviation, a minor detour, and not a season-changing blow. The days ahead will be spent in nervous anticipation, as the team waits to see the outcomes of additional tests. They hope to hear good news, to be able to finally get a break, to be able to see their entire roster on the court. But until then, they’ll keep fighting, fighting, clinging to the belief that they can ride this storm out and come out stronger for it.