Doncic: “Irving helps me a lot”

Ladies and gentleman, we give you the performance you’ve all been waiting for: the duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. When Irving first joined the Mavericks, there was a lot of anticipation about he and Doncic playing together. We had to wait a while as Doncic was out with an injury, but it was pretty anticlimactic when Doncic returned and the two just couldn’t seem to find their groove, playing almost too selflessly with the ball.

Well, that changed on Thursday night when both Doncic and Irving put up 40+ point performances, combining for 82 points in the Mavs’ 133-126 win over the Philadelphia 76ers (just the second victory for the duo). Doncic led with 42 points and 12 assist and Irving added 40 more points and six assists.

Doncic and Irving make Mavs history

It was the first time in Mavericks history that two players scored at least 40 points in one game. They were just the fifth duo on the same team to do so in 30 years.

“The offense I don’t think is a problem,” said Dondid. “I think offensively, we’re good. It’s just the defensive end. We’ve got to get stops. But playing with Kai is so easy. He helps me a lot.”

Eight of Doncic’s 12 assists were to Irving, which tied as the second-most assists Doncic has ever had to one teammate in a single game.

Both Irving and Doncic had at least 20 points in the first half, combining for 45, then combined for 10 in the first two minutes of the third quarter, which started a 20-4 run for the Mavs. Heading into the fourth quarter though, the Mavs still weren’t guaranteed the win. The Sixers went on a 15-0 run to start the final quarter and got within four points of Dallas, giving them nightmare flashbacks to their loss to the Lakers on Sunday, when they overcame a 27-point deficit.

“I just came to the bench and just knew that I had to be very open in my dialogue, saying, ‘This can’t happen again.’,” said Irving. “We just have to hold each other accountable.”

With just over three minutes remaining in the game, Irving hit a three off a Doncic feed and put the Mavs back in the lead by 16.

“Luka was ready for the party,” Irving said. “I was ready for the party tonight. It was one of those games where we had some special performances. I’m just grateful that the work translated because it could have gone either way.”

Of course, it hasn’t been perfect since Irving joined in Dallas, but Thursday’s game is definitely proof that it’s possible for the Mavs to play games like this. And as long as they do, they’ll be nearly impossible to beat.