Kyrie Irving minute restriction: Is Mavericks guard playing on restricted minutes in his return game from injury against 76ers?

The Dallas Mavericks will have Kyrie Irving back on the floor after he missed the last six games. Irving sprained his right thumb in a game against the Boston Celtics after he tried to steal the ball from his former teammate, Jayson Tatum. The star guard has only played 27 games this season.

According to the eight-time All-Star, he's hoping that the team's coaching staff won't give him any minutes restriction tonight. Given that he's only missed six games, there's a chance that the Mavs won't restrict his playing time tonight.

"No, I don't plan on that. Hopefully, J-Kidd doesn't put me on a minutes restriction, but, no, I don't plan on that," Irving said.

This season, Irving is averaging 25.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He's also shooting 41.1% from beyond the arc, which is an improvement. In his first five games of the year, the 2-16 champion only shot 24% from beyond the arc. Since then, he's improved his stroke and has significantly boosted Dallas's offensive firepower.

The Mavs are facing the Philadelphia 76ers tonight, who will be without Joel Embiid. The reigning league MVP has suffered a serious knee injury that could sideline him for a significant amount of time.

You might also be interested in reading this: Kyrie Irving Injury Update: Latest on 8x All-Star's status for game vs Philadelphia 76ers (February 5)

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Kyrie Irving reflects on the games he's missed this season

Kyrie Irving admitted that sitting out with injuries on the sidelines is 'one of the hardest things.' Despite Luka Doncic's brilliant efforts, the Mavs have not improved their record.

Dallas is eighth in the Western Conference standings and has lost back-to-back games.

"To be honest with you, it’s one of the hardest things to do is sit on the sidelines," Irving said. "As a person that loves the game as much as I do, it gets harder and it gets tougher to sit more games. I want to be out there."

After the game against the Sixers, the Mavericks will face the Brooklyn Nets tomorrow. Irving's former team is underrated despite the lack of star power. Then they face the New York Knicks and will cap off their week against the OKC Thunder.