Kyrie Irving Leads Mavs' 4th-Quarter Surge vs. San Antonio Spurs: 3 Big Takeaways
DALLAS — In their return from the NBA All-Star break, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs with a final score of 142-116. It was the first win the team has achieved in three tries with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the floor together.
After the Spurs led 19-18, the Mavs answered with eight consecutive points and never trailed for the rest of the game. Dallas led just 99-90 entering the fourth quarter, but their lead grew to 126-100 at the 5:56 mark when Irving checked out. Doncic didn't play at all in the fourth quarter as a result.
The Mavs shot 22-42 (52.4 percent) from 3-point range as a team and turned it over just six times. Doncic led with 28 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists, along with a pair of steals and blocks. Irving totaled 23 points and six assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. also broke the 20-point plane with 22 on the night. There were 58 total bench points, too.
Here are three big takeaways from the Mavs' win over the Spurs.
3. Holiday Made Strong Debut
In his first game as a member of the Mavs, Justin Holiday made a strong impression. He scored 15 points while shooting 5-6 from beyond the arc in 21 minutes. It was an effective game on both ends for the veteran, who prides himself on being able to fit in with any personnel, and quickly.
Holiday was a frequent beneficiary of the floor spacing and the ball movement within the Mavs' offense. He was ecstatic with the quality of looks he received by playing with Doncic and Irving but felt that overall, the team had strong connectivity.
“Those two generate a lot of open shots for guys and they are willing passers. So, if it was myself or anyone else, there’s going to be open shots to be had. The beautiful thing about it is, I’m okay with it not being me, and these guys are okay with it not being them. That’s the way you play as a team to be good when you have it for the next guy to get a shot. It’s hard for teams to beat that when you have that type of camaraderie and that type of feel.”
While Holiday has a thin frame like Bullock, having another wing defender that can guard a few positions fills a needed void for the Mavs. The impending return of Maxi Kleber will only make the team deeper on both ends, too. Gaining two rotation players that can play multiple positions goes a long way.
2. Irving Elevates Non-Luka Minutes
Irving continued to take over the offense leading the bench unit to begin the second and fourth quarters. Both of those periods featured the Mavs scoring at least 40 points, including an explosive fourth quarter that blew the game wide open in Dallas' favor. Doncic didn't have to re-enter the game at all in the fourth quarter.
In five games with the Mavs, Irving is averaging 11.8 points in the fourth quarter alone. He's doing so with .625/.500/1.000 shooting splits. He's been highly effective without Doncic on the floor, generating 1.38 points per possession and a 70.0 percent true shooting percentage.
“He’s just a clutch player. 4th quarters are for him," Doncic said of Irving. "That’s what he does and since he came here, every time he’s amazing.”
Irving has an impressive ability to be able to attack any matchup and to thrive as a pick-and-roll orchestrator. He leans on those areas when he's playing as the solo creator but certainly finds chances to impose himself next to Doncic, too.
While it was against a Spurs team that has now lost 15 consecutive games, Irving's impact leading the bench group is precisely what the Mavs have sought in a co-star to win non-Luka minutes.
1. Great Synergy With Doncic & Irving
Irving has made it a clear focus to pick his spots when playing alongside Doncic, but to be aggressive when opportunties come his way within the flow of the game. He takes over the lead initiator role when Doncic is on the sidelines. There is a general workload balance that gives the defense different looks at key points.
It was frequent for Irving, and the unit at large, to make the extra pass and to keep the flow alive in the half-court. With shooters available to play like Holiday and Tim Hardaway Jr., there was a more natural flow to the offense overall.
“I thought the ball from yesterday’s [practice] was moving, we saw that before the break. Guys moving too, and then your quarterbacks, with Kai [Kyrie Irving] and LD [Luka Doncic], finding open guys, I thought they did a really good job," Kidd said. "I thought Josh [Green] did good job of finding guys. The ball doesn’t stick, especially when people have said that Luka and Kai need the ball, they also know how to use their teammates, and their teammates are delivering right now.”
While many have asked Irving how he will adjust to playing off-ball, it's not actually an adjustment for him. He's fit with many superstars and enhanced his teams. The main element is Doncic, whether it's taking a catch-and-shoot jumper without hesitation, or attacking a closeout. Doncic had a few plays that featured him attacking off the catch after Irving drove and kicked it out to him.
The Mavs struggled to execute on a final, game deciding play in their two previous games played with Doncic and Irving available. They handled the Spurs too comfortably to require another situation of that nature. Going forward, the handling of those circumstances will be important.
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