On Monday night, Kyrie Irving had 23 points and eight assists, and Luka Doncic scored 19 points in one of the duo's rare games to lead the Dallas Mavericks over the Philadelphia 76ers. We defeated them 118-102.
Josh Green scored 20 points for the Mavericks.
Dallas, which finished eighth in the Western Conference, has had both Doncic and Irving sidelined with injuries this season, and will definitely need the duo to remain in the lineup if they are to make the playoffs. This is the 23rd time in the Mavericks' 50 games that Irving and Doncic have played together.
The Sixers know the value of having an MVP in the lineup. The team fell to 4-11 this season without two-time leading scorer Joel Embiid, who is scheduled to undergo surgery this week for a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee.
Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tyrese Maxey gamely tried to fill the void left by the 7-footer and helped the Sixers take a four-point lead at halftime.
Philadelphia had little hope of maintaining that advantage. Irving made 5 of 6 shots in the third, scoring 11 points. Doncic hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to take a 72-70 lead, and Irving hit two running jumpers to pull Dallas back and end the losing streak at two.
The Mavericks took the lead in the fourth set, taking a 20-point lead. He made 17 of 43 3-point shots.
For the Sixers, Oubre had 19 points, Harris had 17 points and Maxey had 15 points.
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Mavericks: At Brooklyn on Tuesday.
76ers: Host Golden State on Wednesday.
