Luka Doncic's Mavs Defeat Nets in Kyrie Irving's Barclays Center Return
BROOKLYN — Kyrie Irving played his first game at Barclays Center as a member of the Dallas Mavericks (28-23) on Tuesday night, helping to lead a 119-107 defeat of the Brooklyn Nets (20-30).
Irving set the tone early, scoring 21 of his 36 points in the first half and adding five assists on the night. Luka Doncic had a dynamic performance after being a game-time decision due to a nasal contusion, finishing with 35 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists. Both players racked up two steals apiece, while Doncic had a block.
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The Nets began the game with Ben Simmons frequently guarding Doncic while switching everything with Nic Claxton at the five, then sending late doubles when possible to get the ball out of his hands. The Mavs had Irving initiate more, allowing Irving to be aggressive in scoring. After hitting a pull-up 3-pointer, Irving scored his 9th point and put Dallas up 14-9, prompting Brooklyn to call a timeout.
When Irving went to the bench midway through the period, Doncic began operating more out of the post. After it was tied 24 apiece, Doncic led a 7-0 run with a tough fadeaway and a pair of assists to give the Mavs a 31-24 edge after the first period.
Irving aggressively attacked off the dribble, often raising for pull-ups in the defense. He reached 16 points early in the second quarter, leading the Mavs to a double-figure lead while running the bench unit. Brooklyn had no answer to contain Irving in space, showing the skill set that once dazzled the home crowd on their side.
The Mavs' advantage grew to 20 points with 4:22 left before halftime and sustained an 18-point advantage entering the break.
Doncic and Irving made a 3-pointer coming out of the break, putting the Mavs up 70-47 and resulting in a quick timeout call for Brooklyn. The Nets aggressively doubled Doncic, creating opportunities for the Mavs to play 4-on-3, often connecting with the weak side. Irving even completed a rare alley-oop dunk as the beneficiary of these sequences, slamming it down with authority,
"Perfect pass," Irving said. "Shout out to Josh Green. Perfect pass. He had the belief in me. A lot of my teammates didn't think that I could catch lobs, but told them to look at my summer highlights, man. No, but it felt good to get up there and convert that dunk. It's not too often you see me dunk, so I'm grateful that I got a highlight here, man. It felt good."
With Simmons on the floor, the Nets tried sticking with single coverage for a stretch, but Doncic got whatever he wanted out of short-range for made jumpers. With Irving and Doncic continuing to set the tone for the Mavs' offense, their scoring differential grew to be as large as 23 in the third quarter.
The Nets used a 6-0 run to make it a 13-point game midway through the period. A finish from Dennis Smith Jr. made it a single-figure game late in the quarter before Irving answered back with a tough short-range jumper against aggressive on-ball defense from Smith.
Doncic led a run to close the third quarter, featuring a pair of pull-up 3-pointers on consecutive possessions — briefly pushing Dallas to be back up by 20. The Mavs entered the fourth quarter with a 95-77 lead.
The Nets used hot perimeter shooting and tightened up defensive execution again, rallying back to trailing by single figures. After Jalen Wilson converted from deep with 7:54 left in regulation, Brooklyn suddenly trailed just 103-94. Spencer Dinwiddie's attacks on the paint helped the Nets continue to chip away at Dallas's lead, bringing the Nets within six points after a pair of made baskets.
Irving stifled the Nets' momentum with a pair of pivotal 3-pointers — one coming out of a triple-threat followed by a step-back. He pushed the Mavs back to being up by double figures (113-101) with 4:23 left to play while prompting Brooklyn to call a timeout. A scoring drought that spanned 2:17 gameplay for Dallas left the Nets with the impression that a rallying effort was still possible.
The stretch began with Doncic screening for Irving out of double drag, but after popping, the Nets face-guarded him. Doncic initiated the next possession, drawing a double before hitting the short roller. The supporting cast came up empty twice. Doncic then tried to post up Claxton but was blocked on a turnaround jumper. Irving was doubled in the post, resulting in a missed 3-pointer from Maxi Kleber before; ultimately, that trip down the floor resulted in Josh Green converting from deep.
Brooklyn's stretch of defensive stops was not aided by nearly enough offensive execution to achieve a successful comeback.
Dereck Lively II (nasal fracture) and Dante Exum (right knee bursitis) remained sidelined for the Mavs. Brooklyn played without a significant number of players, including Dorian Finney-Smith, who spent seven seasons with Dallas.
The Mavs will wrap up their three-game East Coast road trip on Wednesday when taking on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
