Mavs’ 40-Point Party: Luka, Kyrie Join Elite Scoring Duo Company

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both surpassed 40 points in Thursday’s victory against Philadelphia.

Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told the media after their Feb. 13 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that “we’re here to outscore people.”

Well, outscore people they did on Thursday night.

Dallas earned a much-needed 133-126 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on the shoulders of their two superstars, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who joined elite company.

Doncic and Irving both eclipsed 40+ points, becoming the first Mavs duo in history to do so and only the fifth pair of teammates in the last 30 years.

“It was definitely a different approach tonight, for us as a team, because we really wanted this,” Irving said after the win. “I wanted this.”

Doncic scored 42 points in his 12th 40-point game of the season, shooting 13-of-22 from the floor and 7-of-13 from downtown.

Irving added 40 points of his own on 15-of-22 from the field and 6-of-8 from 3-point range.

“He was great, he had 40 (points),” Doncic said of Irving. “I mean not just today, he’s been great since the trade…playing with Kai is so easy so it helps me a lot.”

Now, Thursday’s 82-point scoring onslaught from the duo isn’t something you can expect on a night-to-night basis, but after a 1-4 start playing alongside each other, it’s a promising sign for things to come, especially against a contending team in Philadelphia.

“Luka was ready for the party. I was ready for the party tonight, and it was one of those games where we had some special performances and I’m just grateful that the work translated because it could’ve gone either way,” Irving said.

It was a party indeed — one that the 76ers wish they weren’t invited to.


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Michael Mulford
MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.