Mavs' Luka Doncic, Dante Exum Out vs. Pelicans; Dereck Lively II, Maxi Kleber Nearing Return

Kleber has been sidelined since Nov. 8 after trying to play through his toe injury, but ultimately aggravated it, causing the Mavs to give him extended time to recover. Lively hasn't been in the lineup since Jan. 3. Dallas has often deployed Dwight Powell as its only traditional big man lately, with Grant Williams spending time as a small ball five.

Kyrie Irving led the Mavs to an impressive 128-124 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday night without Doncic, Lively, or Exum available, among other players. Irving finished with 44 points and 10 assists, marking the second time in his NBA career he's produced at least 40 points and 10 assists in the same game. 

Irving has emphasized being aggressive early in games, whether Doncic is in the lineup or not, but stressed the importance of having all their players back on the floor when they can play again.

"Next man up just means coming in with that same focus level as if somebody else was out there if Luka was out there, if D Live was out there and able to fulfill that role and do it at a high level," Irving said. "No excuses. So, I'm getting off to a good start. I don't have any excuses anymore. With this team, whether Luka is in the lineup or not, I got to start off with an aggressive mindset and aggressive mentality and lead the group in that way, then allow the game management to tell you what we need to do for us again."

The Mavs will need to make the most of their upcoming two games against the Pelicans given how tight the Western Conference standings have become. With a 23-16 record, Dallas ranks seventh in the standings, trailing the sixth-ranked Pelicans by a half-game.