Kyrie Irving finally returned to Brooklyn to face the Nets on Tuesday night, and he put on a show. Irving had a game-high 36 points, including six threes. Luka Doncic added 35 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists as the Mavs defeated the Nets 119-107.
Dallas (28-23) led by as many as 23 points and took an 18-point lead into the fourth quarter. However, the Nets (20-30) cut the lead to six with just over five minutes to go. That’s when Irving stepped up. After Doncic missed two free throws, the Mavs were able to get the ball back, and Irving would hit a big three to put the Mavs up by nine; on Dallas’ next possession, Irving would hit another three and a six-point lead ballooned to 12.
Irving, who spent four seasons with the Nets before he was traded to Dallas last season, said he felt comfortable playing in Brooklyn and was happy to put on a show for his friends and family.
“It felt like I was home tonight,” Irving, who grew up a Nets fan, said. “Just letting the game come to me, allowing the basketball gods to do the rest… Come in with an open heart and open mind to see a lot of my friends and family that I made here and put on a great show for them.”
Mavs coach Jason Kidd was impressed with Irving’s performance against his former team, and according to Kidd, what made Irving’s performance even more impressive was that he scored 36 points without taking a free throw.
“Ky was great tonight,” Kidd said. “It’s not easy coming back to a place you were traded from for the first time. A lot of emotions. I thought he handled it well. To be able to score that many points without shooting a free throw, that’s pretty impressive.”
Irving, who scored 21 points in the first half, also had a highlight reel moment when he caught a lob from Josh Green and slammed it home, which amazed Doncic.
“That was amazing; I’m not going to lie,” Doncic said.
Irving, who returned on Monday night against 76ers after missing six games with a thumb injury, added on the dunk: “A lot of my teammates didn’t think I could catch lobs; I told them to look at my summer highlights.”
The Mavs finally have their two best players on the court again at the same time, which is great news for Dallas, and according to Doncic, Dallas is tough to guard when he and Irving are on the court together.
“We’re still missing D-Live(Dereck Lively) and Dante(Exum),” Doncic said. ‘When everybody’s healthy, we’re a hard team to guard.”
Dallas finishes their three-game road trip on Thursday night against the New York Knicks, and after that, they begin a four-game homestand.
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