Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic wholeheartedly silenced the noise concerning if they could play together and be effective.
In their second game on the court together, Irving collected 36 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals on Monday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Doncic added 33 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
Enough said.
The only thing missing was the Mavs came out on the short end of a 124-121 score to the Timberwolves. But that didn’t dampen what appears to be the makings of one of the greatest backcourt duos in NBA history.
Doncic was even reveling in the fact that Irving had the Timberwolves – and the American Airlines Center sellout crowd of 20,325 – on a string when he amazingly connected on 11-of-12 shots in a fourth quarter that saw him personally outscore Minnesota, 26-24.
“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.”
Irving’s performance in his first home game with the Mavs helped Dallas rally from an 89-63 deficit midway through the third quarter until they got within two points of the Timberwolves before succumbing at the end.
“I think he just understands the game and when it’s time to go,” coach Jason Kidd said, referring to Irving. “You saw that in the fourth quarter. (In the three games he played last week) 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 – but the guys didn’t quit. We kept playing and found a way in the fourth quarter to make a game of it.”
Here are the three takeaways from the three-point loss to the Timberwolves.
WOOD BACK IN THE GROOVE: This was clearly Christian Wood’s best game since he returned on Feb. 6 after missing eight games with a fractured left thumb. Wood finished Monday’s game with 24 points and five rebounds while playing just 23 minutes. He also was 7-of-12 from the field, 2-of-6 from downtown and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Wood had 18 of his points in 14 minutes in the first half. He also
went through one stretch in the second quarter where he scored 11 straight points.
ROAD TRIP HANGOVER: In the first three quarters, it appeared as though the Mavs were experiencing a hangover from their recent five-game, 10-day road trip. Nothing barely worked offensively, and the defense was almost non-existent, as Minnesota already scored 100 points after the third quarter, and the Mavs only had 82 points at that juncture. But the Mavs picked things up and outscored the Timberwolves in the fourth quarter, 39-24. “The first three quarters we were still on that road trip,” coach Jason Kidd said. “And that happens in this league.”
EDWARDS SEEING (ALL) STARS: Anyone who didn’t understand why Anthony Edwards is on the Western Conference All-Star team, now you know. This dude can flat-out play. In 36 minutes, Edwards scored 32 points and grabbed five rebounds. He was 12-of-22 from the floor, 1-of-4 from three-point range and made all seven of his free throw attempts. Edwards scored 12 of his points in the first quarter, which ended with Minnesota ahead, 33-23.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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