Luka Doncic back, Kyrie Irving out as Mavericks face Warriors

DALLAS (AP) —Luka Doncic will return from a five-game absence, but fellow starKyrie Irving is out for the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night ina meeting with Golden State that has significant playoffimplications.

Doncic hadbeen out with a left thigh strain that required an MRI. The testdidn’t show significant damage, but Doncic still missed two weeksafter limping through the last game before he was sidelined.

Irving wasruled out with right foot soreness after aggravating his injury ina 112-108 loss at Memphis on Monday and leaving the arena in awalking boot.

Irving’sabsence means he and Doncic will have played together in just halfof the 18 games since Irving’s debut after the blockbuster tradethat brought him from Brooklyn.

The meetingof last season’s Western Conference finalists comes with both teamstrying to stay out of the play-in tournament while also being atrisk of missing the playoffs altogether.

The defendingchampion Warriors (37-36), who beat Dallas in five games in theWest finals last spring, are a half-game ahead of the Mavericks(36-36). The winner will hold the tiebreaker between the teams witha 2-1 edge in the season series.

Golden Stateis mostly healthy, with stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson setto play and Draymond Green listed as probable with right wristsoreness.

The Warriorsjust ended an 11-game road losing streak, their longest in 13years, with a 121-108 victory in Houston. The Dallas game is thefinale of a five-game trip. Golden State is 8-29 on the road.