Mavs Film Study: How Kyrie Irving & Luka Doncic Fit During First Game

The Dallas Mavericks' new superstar duo, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, played their first game together in an overtime loss against the Sacramento Kings.

DALLAS — After much anticipation, the Dallas Mavericks finally got their first chance to see Luka Doncic take the court with his new co-star, Kyrie Irving. The game result was a 133-128 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. 

"Amazing, man. It was only our first game together," Doncic said regarding playing with Irving. "I think it's so fun to play with this guy. He's an amazing basketball player. I think it's going to be really fun. Today, first time, it was really fun."

Both Mavs superstars played well overall. Doncic totaled 27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in his first game back from a heel contusion that sidelined him since Feb. 2. Irving ended his performance as Dallas' leading scorer with 28 points while adding seven rebounds and seven assists to go along with. 

In the early portion of the game, the Mavs played out of a more motion-based approach — utilizing handoffs and off-ball screening actions. With the opposition playing out of base defense to begin the game, the goal was to involve as much of the unit as possible through a given possession. Doncic, who leads the NBA in first-quarter scoring, tends to tear apart these coverages and did so again by scoring 11 points. Irving settled into the game and had two points. Dallas trailed 34-32 at the end of the period.

“It’s always a figuring-out process when you’re playing with new guys,” Irving said of the feeling-out process early in the game. “Obviously, every circumstance is different. But I think the biggest asset I have is to be fluid out there and adapt to any situation they throw me in. It’s nothing new, but it’s just a figuring process that takes time. That’s what makes this fun.

Irving explained: “I’m just an addition to what this team had going on. This team was already in a great position. I’m just adding on value and seeing where I can galvanize the group and lead the best I can.”

The Mavs began the game by playing out of the post with Doncic on the opening possession. It would become a staple for the All-Star starter in a game where traditional pick-and-roll coverages weren't present to attack. In the set, Dwight Powell screened for Doncic to receive an entry pass, and he went to work against Harrison Barnes. It was a standard play for Mavs basketball. 

Much was made about how the Mavs' pace would change after playing fast without Doncic. There was a positive sign about how they could push the tempo and involve him if there isn't a positive initial outcome. Doncic received the ball as a transition trailer and converted it from beyond the arc. By either taking this shot, attacking downhill, or making a quick passing read, Doncic has options to maintain the advantage created by the push. He can also simply reset. 

The priority for Irving was to pick points to attack throughout the early portions of the game when they were present. He found an opportunity to attack out of a ball screen early in the first quarter and split the two defenders before finishing through the big deep on the drive. The only other possession he had that ended in an outcome for him was a turnover when attacking a closeout off a Josh Green spray-out pass.

In Friday's matchup, the Mavs had a lot of success playing out of basic half-court actions like Zoom action. The Kings were aggressive in making the Mavs' stars see two on the ball on the drive and rotating the low-man to prevent a pass to the roller. One play resulted in a catch-and-shoot 3 for Doncic that he missed. These are the circumstances that Doncic has to convert consistently. 

The Kings made it a point of emphasis to prevent Doncic from attacking downhill when they had the opportunities to do so. By switching the initial ball screen, he had to work to get into the paint after coming back from injury. There were signs of early settling from 3-point range, even on a possession when the Mavs had a Horns set for him to get a handoff going to his right. 

In terms of rotation patters, the Mavs had Doncic play the whole first quarter while Irving was on the floor for 7:15. The goal was to stagger their playing time so Irving could lead the second unit at the start of the following period, enabling him to have opportunities to be aggressive with the basketball in his hands. 

With early struggles to convert from deep, the priority shifted for him to attack the paint, especially with Irving being on the sidelines to close the quarter. Doncic broke down a defender on an isolation for a drive and finish, then used his size and patience out of handoff in a Horns set to get another bucket in the paint. 

While Irving did have more opportunities to attack as the focal point of the offense in the second quarter, he did shoot just 1-4 from the floor in those situations. The made field goal that he recorded in this stretch was emblematic of what the Mavs ideally seek when he's leading a unit without Doncic. At the start of the possession, he had a matchup he wanted and attacked it. 

The Mavs pulled off an impressive 16-2 run before halftime to take a 64-62 lead, showcasing the special potential of what they can achieve with their new duo. With Doncic A common theme for the Mavs' offense tends to be for Doncic to settle things down by working out of the post. Doing so accounts for a few key objectives. 

Firstly, it slows down the game. If the opposition is going on a run, it can help to regain control. Another critical aspect is how Doncic is essentially a walking mismatch. His frame for a guard affords him to have an advantage in playing through contact against just about anyone on a basketball court. He produced three scoring possessions out of the post late in the second quarter alone. 

There was a possession during the Mavs' run when Doncic was able to play off-ball that stood out. Irving screened for him early in the possession before an entry pass was made with Doncic playing with his back to the basket. Instead of attacking as he had throughout the earlier parts of the quarter, he got behind the 3-point line to convert. How many players can be that threatening in the post and convert from deep? It's another example of what makes this tandem so tough to solve for. 

Irving showed off his impressive shot making ability to end the Mavs' run by sprinting the floor to the corner in transition to get a catch-and-shoot look off before the end of the half. After the ball went through the nylon, there was only 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock for the Kings. It was enough to give Dallas a halftime lead. 

Doncic was often the initiator and featured option for the Mavs after halftime. With Tim Hardaway Jr. being ruled out due to hamstring tightness, Bullock started the half in his place. As a result, Doncic utilized Bullock often as a screener to force Kevin Huerter to switch onto him to create an advantage. At first, this worked quite well. He made light work of a single coverage situation to score at the rim. 

The Kings were aggressive in making Doncic see multiple defenders as the game went on. He saw help at the nail and outright double teams in order to neutralize the advantages that he saw from drawing a favorable matchup on a switch. Sacramento managed to force some turnovers and disrupt the Mavs' offense. 

As Irving mentioned, he knew there would be chances for him to be aggressive and attack. He began playing out of ball screens more in the third quarter to get to his spots. With the Kings not allowing Doncic to attack single coverage situations by hunting mismatches, this was an example of how Irving changes the Mavs. He didn't quite have a rhythm on these plays yet until later in the game.

The Mavs often through Doncic leading the charge in the second half. There were some plays that Irving had opportunities to take a catch-and-shoot 3 as a spot-up threat, but he was offline on most of them. This is where the main style adjustment will come for him as he plays more with Doncic. He became a common relief option one pass away, but the attempts from deep weren't dropping at a high clip. Some of these instances will be quick trigger attempts given the timing. 

Irving acknowledged that he'll need to be ready to fine-tune his game to make the most of those situations. He's looking forward to getting reps in when he gets back to Dallas to fire up catch-and-shoot 3-pointers to knock those looks down when they come on Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"He's (Doncic) a monster down there in the post. He draws so much attention. A few of those passes he passed out of the post — I have to be ready to shoot. I came to the bench and just telling those guys I've been so iso-centric being in Brooklyn. I'm not used to being that decision-maker on the backside, sort of say all the time with four straight possessions, five straight possessions."

Irving explained further: "I just got to be ready to catch and shoot. I'm excited to go back to Dallas to get in the gym, get on the gun, and get ready for Monday's game, where I know the adjustments will come, and I just got to be ready to knock them down."

As the game continued, Luka Doncic often attacked out of the post to settle the Mavericks' offense. I asked Kyrie Irving about playing off of that:

"He's a monster down there in the post. He draws so much attention. A few of those passes he passed out of the post — I have to be… pic.twitter.com/dDQUfH43Hq

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) February 12, 2023

With it being Irving's first game with his new superstar teammate, he took advantage of opportunities to get aggressive in transition, whether he was on the floor or not. He scored eight points out of transition and that trailed only pick-and-roll in terms of his highest scoring play types in the game. All of those points were in the second half. 

Irving was the initiator to begin the fourth quarter while Doncic was on the sidelines until later checking back in. However, as games wind down in the fourth quarter, Irving is going to get easy looks by being apart of 4-on-3 situations. He can either attack off the dribble to get into the paint to utilize his creative shot creation ability, or he can take the catch-and-shoot 3 if it's there. He made a play using both approaches down the stretch. 

In overtime, Irving put a major stamp on the game. He attacked out of ball screens three times and scored on all of them. As you can see on each of his possessions in the video below, he worked to attack going to his right, which was something the Kings had prevented him from doing earlier in the game. These sequences were a full display of his three-level scoring talent and ability to close out a game.

"Just attacking early. Getting the ball early. They were doing a great job of forcing me to my left and bringing a lot of help over," Irving said regarding how he adjusted to succeed in pick-and-rolls. "There were some adjustments we made, but ultimately it came down to making shots and being in the right position on the defensive glass.

Irving explained: "There was that Huerter layup that put them up four. I took inside position to box him out and the ball bounced to him. I should have fouled him, but there's still those little plays, little details we could have created more separation."

I asked Kyrie Irving about what he saw as he made big plays out of pick-and-roll down the stretch for the Mavericks:

"Just attacking early. Getting the ball early. They were doing a great job of forcing me to my left and bringing a lot of help over. There were some adjustments… pic.twitter.com/SKUipbIMdd

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) February 12, 2023

There are minor nuances that will be understood as the two play more together. For example, in overtime, Doncic was driving the lane while trailing 119-117 with around three minutes remaining, and Irving made a 45-cut instead of staying spaced out. Domantas Sabonis committed to helping out of the dunker spot and Huerter had to help the helper as a result. Had Irving stayed spaced out, Doncic's late passing could have gotten him the basketball, but instead, it was a turnover.

The game's final stage ended with the age-old question that every new duo faces: Who takes the last shot? With roughly nine seconds remaining in overtime, Doncic got to his favorite spot — the left wing — and flowed into his step-back 3-pointer. The shot was offline, and the Mavs' chances of victory had plummeted to requiring a miracle.

With Irving being a player known for clutch heroics, should Doncic have passed the back to him? Doncic took blame for the pivotal play and stated that he "should have given it back" to Irving. When Irving was asked, he made clear that not just Doncic, but any of his teammates should take a shot as long as they are confident in it. 

There is a lot to like about what the Mavs can build on from Irving and Doncic playing their first game together. With Irving being a midseason acquisition, he's having to fit in with what a team is already doing as opposed to having a training camp to enter as a clear focal point with a full playbook. They will learn the nuances of not only each other's games as the stretch-run progresses, but the team can expand its approach. 

The Mavs return to action on Monday when take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in what will mark Irving's first home game as a member of the team. 

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