Kyrie Irving Ruled Out Saturday For 'Injury Management' After Dropping 24 Points

Kyrie Irving is officially sitting out Saturday's game for "injury management," which is the modern NBA's favorite way of saying a guy is perfectly fine but his calendar said it was time for a nap.

Underdog NBA broke the news that the Dallas Mavericks star is ruled out. If you bought a ticket hoping to see him put a defender in a blender, congratulations, you just paid premium prices to watch the second unit run dribble handoffs.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Kyrie Irving (injury management) ruled out Saturday.'"

The funniest part is that Irving just dropped 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He looked completely lethal. Naturally, being highly efficient and healthy is the exact medical trigger for an NBA training staff to wrap a player in industrial bubble wrap.

To be fair to Dallas, his medical history reads like a CVS receipt. Between calf strains, a bulging disc, and his previous ACL recovery, keeping Irving fresh is a full-time job. Treating him like a vintage sports car that cannot be driven over 40 miles per hour in October is just the cost of doing business if you want him alive for the playoffs.

For anyone staring at the weekend betting board, this completely nukes the Dallas offensive projections. Taking Irving's usage rate out of the equation means the rest of the Mavericks are about to see a massive spike in volume, turning their player props into an absolute free-for-all.

Expect Irving to be back in his usual spot next week once the medical staff decides he has successfully managed his non-injury. Until then, Dallas has to figure out how to replace a hyper-efficient 24 points without accidentally making anyone else tired.