Kyrie Irving Helps Luka Doncic Overcome West-Leading T-Wolves; Mavs Hype Grows

Mavs superstar Kyrie Irving helped Luka Doncic lead the Dallas Mavericks to a victory over the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, showcasing the true potential of the dynamic duo.

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving scored a team-high 35 points on Sunday night, helping Luka Doncic to guide the Dallas Mavericks to a 115-108 victory over the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. After the Slovenian superstar guided the Mavs during Irving's 12-game injury absence, the team now has both superstars available to manage games better and counter aggressive defensive approaches. 

"It was a good test for us playing against one of the hottest teams in the league," Irving said. "The record speaks for itself, and I think our focus level is at a great point tonight; we had some points of emphasis in the game plan that we really stuck to, and the ball found who we wanted to, and we were dialed in from the beginning of the game. It feels good when you go blow for blow with one of the best teams in the league, and offensively and defensively, you're challenging yourself.

"These are the type of games you want to be a part of in the regular season," Irving explained. "It's not so often you get to go against some of the best of the best in the league, and tonight was a great test for us like I said, where we show where we can still improve, but also, it's a good effort tonight for us to get this one."

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The Mavs homestand has served as a microcosm for the value of Irving's impact in alleviating pressure from Doncic. He stepped into the role of being the top option in a victory against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday with Doncic sitting out due to right ankle swelling, then flanked Doncic with a robust offensive display against the NBA's top defensive team in the following performance, both resulting in victories. 

In their 12th clutch win of the season for the Mavs, Irving and Doncic were instrumental in managing the team down the stretch. The fourth quarter began with Irving as the only superstar on the floor for Dallas; then, both players helped guide the Mavs in pivotal moments together in clutch time, rallying from a six-point deficit with 3:53 remaining in regulation. Dallas scored 13 consecutive points to clinch a victory, with Doncic's pair of free throws with 18.0 seconds left ultimately ensuring the win. 

“I thought the group being down six was a great test of character and trust, and those guys did a great job of hanging together and finding a way to win,” coach Jason Kidd said.“Kai was great, Luka was great. Those guys set the tone, not just on the offensive end, but on the defensive end — the trust for one another to not just take turns down the stretch, but to make plays for their teammates."

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Irving contributed his third 30-point game of the season, just his first since Nov. 18, when he dropped 39 against the Milwaukee Bucks in a near comeback. Having Irving get into a strong rhythm goes a long way for the Mavs, as they are 7-2 this season when he scores 25 or more points. It doesn't take much for him to be the difference-maker on many nights, indicating a high ceiling for the group. He feels he's found that rhythm by leaning on his intensive preparation process after recently returning from injury and getting back into the flow. 

"I felt great," Irving said. "A stark difference from how I got started in Utah. Just being back out there just goes to show that the preparation matters on my end how I approached the game night tonight, how I exemplify my own leadership in my own way, and continue to spark a great positive energy for our guys. It's a make-or-miss league. You can win some games, go on the streak, lose some games, go on the streak. You want to stay together in that foxhole together and continue to feed each other positive energy."

Early on, Irving was aggressive, seeking chances to score, particularly reading how Minnesota was content deploying drop coverage with Gobert, leaving space to get into pull-ups coming off ball screens or handoffs. He even hunted Mike Conley in the post after a pick-and-switch sequence. Over the past few games, he's pushed the pace after grabbing rebounds or receiving outlet passes, too, suggesting he's confident in his rhythm after returning from injury, leading to his highest-scoring outing next to Doncic in almost two months. 

"Just like the last time Kai played Minnesota here, he went off in the fourth quarter. I think, again, Kai was great. Luka was great," Kidd said. "Those guys set the tone, not just on the offensive end, but on the defensive end." 

Doncic emphasized the importance of Irving continuing to be aggressive as he was scoring against the Timberwolves, describing him as an "amazing player." 

“He was great. He’s an amazing player," Doncic said of Irving. "We need him to be this aggressive every time.”

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Minnesota's goal early was to take advantage of Derrick Jones Jr. spacing out in the weak-side corner by sending an early low man. Still, Dallas adjusted by often forcing both bigs into the action by playing out of double-drag actions, requiring more communication and reads from the defense. As a result, there wasn't anywhere for Karl-Anthony Towns to hide. Irving has presented the Mavs with a more layered attack to stress the defense after gearing up to contain Doncic with more aggressive approaches. It's too much to be blitzing and hard-hedging against two elite talents in the half-court for 48 minutes. 

What makes Irving and Doncic an even more intriguing tandem is how the Mavs can get into half-court actions involving both. When it's time to move Doncic to the elbow, playing out of a Horns set, Irving can initiate the play or be deployed as the other "big" on the opposite elbow to screen. Both players can be deployed in a Zoom action, where one sets an off-ball screen before the other gets into a handoff, making accounting for matchups a nightmare for the defense. One sequence involved Irving being left wide open on a cut after setting the off-ball screen. 

As Doncic continues to prove his catch-and-shoot consistency, either player can space out when the other hunts mismatches, too, which is particularly valuable when Doncic is posting up. The options are essentially limited by how creative the Mavs coaching staff wants to get due to the willingness each superstar shares within the flow and their versatility as threats both on and off the ball. 

Given how dynamic Doncic is, he tends to demoralize opponents by halftime. While frequent observers of his may not bat an eye at him scoring 20-30 in an opening half, opposing teams tend to react, often turning to blitzing or picking him up earlier in possessions, whether full-court or after crossing half-court. While Irving is vital in orchestrating the second unit when Doncic sits in the first half, Irving becomes especially important in the ongoing chess match after halftime to counter the aggressive approaches defenses deploy to make "the others" beat them. 

The Mavs emphasized playing "advantage basketball" in pivotal moments against Minnesota when a player draws a double team, and there are favorable numbers to attack the rest of the unit, such as a 4-on-3 against a blitz in pick-and-roll coverage. Doncic found Powell for an and-one to spark the run, then Powell later connected with Irving out of a short-roll for a corner 3-pointer along the way. 

"It was a good pass, but I had to get my feet underneath me," Irving said. "Just studying Minnesota over the past few weeks and seeing some of their rotations. Down the stretch in some of the past games that we played against them, they've doubled Luka and made him get off the ball. I was just trying to be in the right spot on the back side of the offensive possession, and the ball found me in the right spot, and it went in. Just give credit to our team and us being prepared. We go over those things in practice all the time, and it felt good for us to execute down the stretch."

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Doncic was happy to trust Irving to make big plays down the stretch, trusting the supreme talent he's proven in his NBA career. As they have gained 

“It’s easy to trust him (Kyrie Irving) with the ball to get a bucket," Doncic said. "At the end, after he made two 3’s, he told me he was tired, so I had to get the ball.”

There are dynamic plays someone of Irving's caliber can achieve that Dallas benefited from in pivotal moments against Minnesota. After turning it over against the Timberwolves with Jaden McDaniels guarding in isolation, Irving had the instinct to pry the ball loose from Gobert, later receiving it in the corner for a pivotal 3-pointer. 

"Going against Jaden McDaniels, just a one-on-one type of play there," Irving said. "He was just using his length very well, using his off arm very well, which is trying to make me make a decision and to be 6'2 going against 6'9, 6'10, you know, some tall guys out there. So he's got to make some adjustments. I was pissed that I turned it over. So I was happy on the other side that I got a chance to get us that possession.

"But that play could have gone either way. It could have been a determining factor in our game," Irving explained. "Luckily, the basketball Gods were on my side, and we were able to secure the possession and get a three out of it, which created that separation."

The sheer firepower the Mavs had on the court helped create a pivotal clutch possession after Irving's pair of made 3-pointers. Dallas has begun using Jones as a short-roller in clutch time, knowing Doncic will be blitzed regardless of who sets the screen. The result was Jones receiving the ball in the middle of the floor, with Powell sealing off Gobert, creating a wide-open dunk, putting the Mavs up 111-106 with 25.1 seconds remaining in regulation. Doncic's trust in his teammates was an essential part of Jones receiving that final possession, trusting Jones to decide on the short roll instead of trying to force a tough shot himself. 

“[Out of the timeout], they told me to shoot the ball again. When I caught the ball, I saw Rudy [Gobert] was caught up with Dwight [Powell], so I saw a free lane.” 

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A turnover on the other end forced Minnesota to play the free throw game, but Doncic made them pay by going 2-2 to seal the win. The Mavs stayed disciplined defensively, handling a sideline out-of-bounds play by the Timberwolves on the play. With precise late-game management and execution despite a deficit, Dallas improved to a .706 clutch winning percentage, trailing only the Timberwolves.  

Irving, an NBA champion in 2016 as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, provides value as a franchise pillar beyond the box score through his leadership in setting a standard. He emphasizes the importance of the team being physical early in games and attacking the opposition by placing vulnerable defenders into the action. Being the aggressor on both ends can create a set of circumstances that enable game management with a lead as the remainder of the game within the game plays out. 

"I really believe it's about how we start off the games when we start off very physical, and we're attacking guys on the offensive end," Irving said. "It sets us up for the rest of the game, and you look at some of the great teams that play in our league, they usually like to create that separation early, and then it's about game management after that. Teams are going to make their runs, but If you can manage the game well after you hit him in the mouth the first two quarters, and you pretty much up nine to 15 points or even seven points to 15 points, you can manage it well if you're playing hard still."

After establishing early advantages, Irving conveyed the importance of the Mavs not easing up, whether in aggressiveness or pace. With the options the team has to deploy throughout games regarding personnel, he expressed how it's better to ask for a sub and leave the game to maintain that speed as a unit. 

"So I think at this point, the mentality is to continue to push, leave our foot on the gas pedal, and if you're tired, ask for a sub out, but at this point, we want to keep our pace very high," Irving said. 

Irving remains intrigued by what the Mavs can achieve as a team after seeking continued growth on defense after beginning the season poorly in that regard. The team has ranked 10th in defensive rating since November 30 after being 24th in the prior period. While the offensive results have diminished to an extent, the overall combination of results portrays a high ceiling. 

"Even though our offensive numbers have gone down a little bit, our defensive numbers are going up, and that's a positive. That's a sign of a great team that's focused," Irving said. "I think we've been creating good habits over these past few games. We just want to find that consistency."

If the Mavs can stay healthy for an extended period, the foundation for success appears to be established. The next steps will be to regain Lively and Exum in the lineup after recovering from injuries to further continuity on both ends.