Dallas Mavs Reactions: Luka Doncic Stays Hot; Concern Over Kyrie Irving Slow Start?

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night thanks to Luka Doncic’s massive scoring outburst, but there are still several way the 2-0 squad can improve.

As the saying goes, it doesn’t matter how you win as long as you do win. That’s how the Dallas Mavericks’ first two games of the season have gone, as they’re 2-0 despite giving up 119 points to the San Antonio Spurs and 120 points to the Brooklyn Nets.

Luka Doncic wowed the American Airlines Center on Friday night with a 49-point performance that included one of the crazier game-winning shots you’ll see this year.

“I'm just glad I didn't call a timeout when I wanted to. We probably wouldn't be sitting here,” Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said after the 125-120 win over the Nets.

“That's a Luka [Doncic] special. He likes the ball late, he loves those situations and he finds a way. The thing about Luka, he practices a lot of crazy shots. Sometimes they get caught on camera. Sometimes it's just the human eye that catches them. Tonight was one of those shots. He put us in a position to get there. [Forty-nine] points. He played well. What else can you say about it? I don't know what to say. He's special.”

Luka Doncic smiles after nailing a crazy game-winning shot vs. the Brooklyn Nets / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

Doncic not only hit a career-high nine 3-pointers, but he also didn’t turn the ball over, which is arguably more impressive than the 49 points. He’s off to a fantastic start to the season, and if he can get his co-star back on track as well, the Mavs will really start humming.

Although Kyrie Irving has hit some big fourth-quarter buckets, his overall shooting percentages have been lacking. So far, he’s shooting just 39 percent from the field and just 16.7 percent from deep. Those numbers will surely come up as the season progresses, and when they do, Dallas’ offense will look even more unstoppable than it already does.

On today’s episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we discuss Dallas’ win over Brooklyn at length, including Doncic’s brilliance, Irving knocking off the rust, Dereck Lively making his first start, and predictions for what’s coming up in the next few weeks.

You can watch and listen to our entire exclusive interview with Williams below. As always, thanks for tuning in, and be sure to hit that subscribe button on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts!