Mavs Step Back: Kyrie Irving Makes 44-Point Statement vs. Knicks - 'We Responded Tonight'
In case some people had forgotten just how good Kyrie Irving is, he gave them a big reminder on Thursday night, putting up 44 points on 15-26 shooting, 10 assists, four rebounds and two steals as the Dallas Mavericks ended the New York Knicks' five-game win streak with Luka Doncic wearing street clothes.
“Well, in competition, you’re going to get embarrassed sometimes," Irving said when asked about the Mavs bouncing back after Tuesday's letdown against a severely undermanned Memphis Grizzlies team.
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"I think that’s part of NBA-level competition. Some games you’re not going to play up to the level that you want, [but] I think we responded tonight. That was only 48 hours ago, and consistency is just as important as locking into the gameplan. Being able to create some opportunities throughout the game where you’re really focused on getting the best possession out of your teammates. It was a hard-fought game.”
The Mavs are now 2-3 this season when Doncic doesn't play, but they've won the last two with Irving leading the charge. The first one was overlooked a little bit since it was a 36-point blowout against a Portland Trail Blazers squad that just isn't that good if we're being honest. But to get a win without Doncic against the best team in 2024 so far was huge the entire team's confidence going forward.
"I was trying to look at him in the post to try and conserve some energy," Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said of his plan for Irving heading into the game.
"I know he's (one of the best), if not the best at the dribble, but when you're going to maybe play him 40-something minutes, how can you use him where he's not expending a lot of energy and it's harder sometimes to double team. I thought about putting him in the post tonight, something that we haven't really looked at. He's just as good in the post as he is off the dribble. I asked him [if he] could post up tonight a little bit and I thought he delivered."
The Mavs got an important win to push their record to 23-16 with two huge games with Western Conference standings implications coming up against the New Orleans Pelicans, who are 23-15 on the season. Doncic should be back for one, if not both of those matchups, but even if he isn't, Irving's statement to the rest of the league was clear on Thursday night – the Mavs aren't just about Doncic, and when the dynamic duo is playing together down the stretch of his season while Dallas' defensive continues to improve ... watch out.
You can watch and listen to our entire Mavs-Knicks postgame show on the Mavs Step Back Podcast below. Also, be sure to SUBSCRIBE on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts!
