Pairing Of Luka Doncic And Kyrie Irving Could Be ‘Lethal’ For Mavericks’ Offense

The Dallas Mavericks return home to play their final game at the American Airlines Center before the NBA All-Star break after an eventful five-game West Coast road trip. Dallas bookended the trip with losses but won its three middle games. But the trip involved much more than wins and losses.

Dallas traded for eight-time All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving a week ago. Not only did the team add Irving, but it also saw the return of Luka Doncic to the lineup after missing four games with a right heel contusion. The team, and fans, hope the pairing of Doncic and Irving will pay dividends in the postseason.

“It’s only our first game together, but I think it’s so fun to play with this guy,” Doncic said of playing with Irving after the Mavericks fell to the Sacramento Kings in overtime Saturday night, 133-128. “He’s an amazing basketball player. I think it’s going to be really fun. Today, first game, it was really fun too.”

Doncic poured in 27 points on 55% shooting in the loss. He also had nine rebounds and five assists in 41 minutes. Irving led the Mavericks in scoring with 28 points on 52.4% shooting while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing seven assists in 42 minutes.

In his three games with the Mavericks, Irving is averaging 25.7 points on 48.1% shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and a steal in 38 minutes per game.

“I’m glad we got it out of the way,” Irving said of sharing the floor with Doncic for the first time. “But while I was out there, it felt really special just in terms of the opportunities we had on both ends of the floor to really learn from one another and just gain some more confidence.”

Dallas’ new dynamic duo will have two more games—at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves and on the road against the Denver Nuggets—to build more trust on the floor before both of them suit up for the All-Star Game this weekend. After that, it’s the last leg of the regular season.

The Mavericks currently sit in fourth place in the ever-shifting Western Conference standings, with a 31-27 record. Dallas is two games back of the Kings for third place and 2.5 games ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who is the tenth seed and holds the last play-in spot. The Utah Jazz, who are currently out of the playoff picture, are three games back of the Mavericks.

To gain some separation, Dallas needs to start racking up the wins. Head coach Jason Kidd liked what he saw from his new backcourt in its first game. He is hopeful that Doncic and Irving will be able to develop together and add a new layer of offensive potency to the team’s attack.

“It was smooth; it’s basketball,” Kidd said. “I thought those two did an incredible job—both of them bringing the ball up, both of them playing without the ball. Now, it’s just a matter of getting minutes and being able to see which spots they like or are very comfortable playing out of. I think the pick-and-roll with those two is going to be really good for us.”

The addition of Irving effectively restarted the Mavericks’ season. Dallas now has a second All-Star alongside its superstar and may still be looking to bring in additional help in the buyout market. Their retooling efforts have the team potentially poised for another deep playoff run.

“It’s still a learning process, but I think that could be really lethal for us,” Doncic said of playing a two-man game with Irving. “It’s hard, I think, to guard both of us. So, there’s going to be less doubles and just us getting to work.”