Dallas Mavs' Luka Doncic, Kyrie Kyrie Irving: 'Fun' Superstar Clash with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard Despite Loss

Mavs superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving reflected on facing the Bucks' one-two punch of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard in a marquee NBA matchup.

MILWAUKEE — When the Dallas Mavericks faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks, it was a matchup featuring some of the NBA's biggest stars, including Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on one side, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on the other. The Bucks won 132-125 in a game that did not disappoint for entertainment value.

Beyond the Philadelphia 76ers' top-scoring tandem of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the Bucks and Mavs squaring off included two of the league's following highest-scoring duos. Antetokounmpo led the way with 40 points, while Irving wasn't far behind, finishing with 39. Doncic added 35 points, and Lillard chipped in 27. 

While the Mavs didn't win the game, being involved in such an electric matchup was a fun experience for Doncic and Irving. The Slovenian superstar has often expressed utmost respect for both Bucks superstars, even describing Antetokounmpo's performance in this game as "torching" Dallas in the paint.

“It was actually fun,” Doncic said. “Obviously, not the result, but it was fun. They have a couple of guys that are really good and going against each other, it was fun.”

Irving described the matchup as "incredibly exciting" for the NBA when teams with a superstar duo can face off and put on a show. Irving made plenty of takeaways from the outcome as a whole, mentioning how there were successful stretches the Mavs produced, but the team must establish greater consistency.

“It’s incredibly exciting when you’re going against other stars in the league,” Irving said. “You want to play your best and play well individually, but you also want to come out with a win, and they did that tonight, so you got to give them credit. They made timely shots.

“But when me and Luka have it going like the way we had it tonight, and other guys are filling in, it makes our job easier, and we feel better as a team," Irving explained. "We did that in spurts, but we just got to continue to build on our consistency. There were some possessions that just weren’t good at all. There was one I took a three in transition, I got a foul, and Dame went to the free throw line.”

The Mavs have a great respect for what the Bucks have established with Antetokounmpo as a franchise cornerstone — a recent MVP winner. With Lillard now in the fold, Milwaukee is in the early stage of building chemistry between superstars and as a collective, but the ultimate potential is fascinating and commands respect.

“They’re elite,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said of the Bucks. “They’ve won a championship. I thought the guys did a great job putting themselves in a position to win on the road. It’s not easy. So, the good thing about the NBA is we got another one tomorrow.”

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo attacks the rim against the Dallas Mavericks / Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

After leading by as many as 12 points, the Mavs had a chance to achieve a victory, but defensively, unraveled in their execution late in the game — allowing the Bucks to score 43 points in the fourth quarter while struggling to convert from deep on their attempts. Dallas proved unable to

After Saturday's loss, the Mavs are now 9-4 on the season through 13 games, with motivation to show they can continue to respond quickly. Dallas has yet to experience consecutive losses but has not fared well against top-flight competition in the limited opportunities on the early-season schedule. 

Achieving defensive improvement was a goal stressed by both Doncic and Irving when sharing their thoughts on the Mavs' loss. It doesn't come as a surprise to hear, considering Dallas has produced just a 117.1 defensive rating (25th) on the season. 

The Mavs quickly return to action as they complete the final leg of a back-to-back on Sunday with a matchup against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center.