Is Kyrie Irving playing tonight against OKC Thunder? Looking at star guard's status for Game 3 (May 11)

Dallas Mavericks standout Kyrie Irving is listed as available for the coming Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the number one-seeded OKC Thunder on Saturday as the series shifts to Dallas, Texas. The series is knotted at one game each, turning this third game into a crucial matchup.

The Thunder, as the top seed, cruised through the first round but now face some challenges. Meanwhile, Dallas aims to capitalize on the momentum from their recent road victory. Over the season, the Thunder have a 4-2 advantage in the series.

After a tough loss in game one, the Mavericks rebounded impressively on the road in game two to tie the series. Returning home, they bring both confidence and momentum, supported by a 27-17 record on their home court this season. While not overwhelmingly strong at home over the entire season, their performance has improved markedly over the past month.

Notably, the Mavericks pulled off the Game 2 win without Kyrie Irving's scoring, as he ended the game with nine points, three rebounds, and 11 assists with two steals and two blocks on 2 of 8 shooting from the field at 25.0%, including 0 of 2 from the beyond the arc and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line at 83.3%. Despite his lack of scoring, he boasted a +9 net rating.

Despite being the fifth seed in the Western Conference, they have emerged as one of the league's top teams since the latter half of the season and now stand a solid chance to advance in the series. A victory in Game 3 could be crucial for them to seize control of this Western Conference semifinal.

What happened to Kyrie Irving?

Kyrie Irving sustained a thumb injury during the high-profile matchup against the Boston Celtics on January 22. The injury occurred as he tried to swipe the ball from Jayson Tatum just as Tatum started his dribble, resulting in poor timing and a hurt thumb for Irving.

After the game, Irving was spotted wearing a thumb brace. Furthermore, his X-rays showed no fractures, indicating the injury wasn't as severe as it could have been.

He missed the subsequent six games until returning against the Philadelphia 76ers on the road to win 118-102 with no signs of rust as he ended the game with 23 points and played on the second night of the back-to-back against the Brooklyn Nets, where he notched 36 points. Overall, Kyrie has missed 22 games this season.