As he came down awkwardly and fell to the court on the baseline late in the first quarter, Kyrie Irving grabbed at his left knee and then stayed on the floor.
And the Mavericks at that very moment knew the injury gods have no mercy. Or heart.
The Mavericks’ emotional leader and top scorer left Monday’s 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings with a sprained left knee, the Mavericks announced before halftime. He did not return, although he did shoot his two free throws while clearly in agony with 2:35 left in the opening quarter.