Dallas' dynamic duo has found success again.
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Brooklyn Nets by a score of 119-107 on Tuesday night in Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 36 points, and Luka Doncic had a near triple-double with 35 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists. Mikal Bridges was Brooklyn's leading scorer with 28 points.
With just two days left until the trade deadline, the Mavericks dominated back-to-back must-win sets. These two wins of his went a long way in bringing the atmosphere back to a manageable level. Tonight was a game where Dallas seemed to be in total control.
Kyrie Irving set the tone early for Dallas with a great first quarter. He was incredibly aggressive and established what this match was going to be. There was definitely excitement for a revenge game as Irving wowed Barclays Center with his impressive shot-making. As the second quarter progressed, Dallas finally closed the gap to some extent, eventually entering the second quarter with a seven point lead.
The Mavericks were able to extend their lead in the second period as the duo of Doncic and Irving continued to perform well. Brooklyn's offense looked disorganized and disorganized, while Dallas looked cohesive defensively. Doncic's 3-pointer late in the first half gave the Mavericks a 65-47 lead back in the locker room.
Dallas extended its lead to 23 points in the third, but the Nets scored late in the half to cut it to single digits. But once again, Doncic and the Mavericks responded, and the Slovenian superstar hit back-to-back threes to end the quarter and push the lead back to 18.
Brooklyn couldn't escape and scored an extra point in the fourth quarter. However, Irving made two huge threes to stop the Nets from coming back. The lead was down to just six points, but Dallas never lost its composure and the result was never in jeopardy. It was a solid win for the Mavericks. The Mavericks suddenly had an opportunity to string together some good games and go into the All-Star break in good shape. Here are his three observations.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are good at basketball
The Mavericks essentially won this game tonight with two players. Indeed, Josh Green scored his 12 points and made a dagger three. Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 14 points off the bench. But other than that, this was strictly a two-man show for Dallas. Doncic and Irving combined for 71 points and looked completely unstoppable. Performances like this show that when these two guys are firing on all cylinders, this team can beat anyone. Even if the rest of the team is unable to play, their great play will make up for it in a big way. That's why Dallas has a responsibility to build a team that can support them and help them make the playoffs this season.
Jason Kidd doesn't manage Luka's time well
Once again, Luka Doncic played the entire second half. And to be honest, he didn't need to. Yes, Brooklyn scored a few runs and pushed what seemed like a close game into the final innings. But a lot of that was due to poor defense from Doncic, who was gassed. If Kyrie Irving is healthy and playing great basketball, there's no need to play Luka for 24 consecutive minutes, or 43 minutes total. Irving could have started the fourth quarter if Doncic had rested on the bench. Doncic could have been rested at some point in the third game.
It seems silly to complain about this, but the minutes stack up so much. And once you get healthy, you won't have to force yourself to do it. The Mavericks need to find more ways to rest their superstar.
Who played in the last game as a Maverick?
Obviously, the trade deadline is less than 48 hours away. Dallas has been active in rumors and reports so far, so there's a good chance we've seen the player's last game in a Maverick uniform. Josh Green, Jaden Hardy, Grant Williams, and Tim Hardaway Jr. have all been involved in the rumor mill. We'll see how the deadline goes, but to the players who just heard their swan song in Dallas, I'd say this: Thank you for your contributions thus far and good luck wherever the wind blows. .
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