Kyrie Irving made his home debut for Dallas Mavericks(31-28) against the Minnesota Timberwolves(31-29) on Monday night, and he put on a show. Irving, who Dallas recently acquired from the Nets, scored 26 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter, but with a chance to tie the game, Irving had a costly turnover, and the Timberwolves would defeat Dallas 124-121.
Minnesota had its largest lead at 89-63 in the third, but in that fourth quarter, Irving got it going; he was 11/12 from the field and 3/4 from deep. He became the fourth player this season to score 26-plus points in the fourth quarter of a game.
Luka Doncic, who had 33 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, was very impressed by Irving’s 32 second-half points.
“It was insane,” Doncic said. “All of the guys were just looking at each other, wondering how he does that. It was unbelievable to see, and he really got hot.”
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd added on Irving’s offensive explosion.
“I think he just understands the game, and when it’s time to go – you saw that in the fourth quarter,” Kidd said. “On the road trip, he picked his spots, trying to use his teammates early but also getting in rhythm. That’s what makes him special. Just to see the guys – not just Kai (Kyrie Irving) – but the guys didn’t quit. We kept playing, found a way in the fourth quarter to make a game of it.”
According to Irving, no lead is safe in the NBA, and he really wanted to get this home win.
“Anything can happen in this league,” he said. “I said it the other night, but there’s no 20-point leads that are safe in our league anymore, so if we can put ourselves in a great position defensively and get some stops consecutively, we can be in the game with anybody. I really wanted this one tonight at home. I did. It just didn’t go our way.”
Despite the outstanding performance, Irving was frustrated with the Mavs’ last possession. Doncic and Irving were a little indecisive on that possession, which ultimately led to Irving’s costly turnover.
“I am still trying to emotionally recover,” he said. “It is still so raw. I would have at least liked to get a shot up. Obviously, with Luka [Doncic] taking it in the backcourt on that steal attempt, it messed up our spacing. We were going for a quick two. That was the plan. It didn’t end up going that way, and I should have given Luka more spacing.”
“First of all, it was great defense by the Timberwolves,” Doncic said of the final play. “That was great defense. We didn’t get a clear shot, and we just passed to each other. But I think it was great defense. Well done.”
What Irving did on Monday night was special, but the Mavs had to put it together for four quarters, and unfortunately, they didn’t, and it cost them the game.
Notes:
Over his last four games at American Airlines Center, Irving, who added five rebounds and six assists on Monday night, is averaging 36.5 points (.570 FG%).
Leave a Reply