Mavs Roll Spurs; Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving Capture 1st Win as Star Duo
At long last, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have captured their first win as a star duo, and Dallas Mavericks fans can finally take a collective sigh of relief.
On Thursday night at American Airlines Center, the Mavs blew out the San Antonio Spurs by the final score of 142-116 to end a three-game losing streak fresh out of the NBA All-Star break. Dallas' 142 points was the most scored in a game this season, as it improved to 32-29 on the year. San Antonio dropped to 14-46.
After leading by nine heading into the final frame, Irving led a furious fourth-quarter push that kept Doncic from having to re-enter the game. Irving finished as the Mavs' second-leading scorer with 23 points on 8-13 shooting from the field and 3-4 from deep in 30 minutes. He also dished out six assists and was a team-high +34 on the night.
Doncic led the way for Dallas with 28 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and two blocks while shooting 8-16 from the field and 11-12 from the free-throw line. Nobody needed the All-Star break more than Doncic, given the incredible load he had to carry through the first part of the season, and he finally looked fresh out there again.
All five Mavs starters scored in double-figures, and three Mavs bench players did as well, including Tim Hardaway Jr. with 22 points and Christian Wood with 16 points. But the big highlight of the night for Dallas was the play of newly-signed shooting guard Justin Holiday.
Holiday, who was just picked up on the buyout market, finished with 15 points on 5-6 shooting from deep in his Mavs debut. His shooting was nice, but his activity on the defensive end was even more encouraging for Dallas as it continues to get fully healthy down the stretch.
Next up, the Mavs take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at AAC on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CT. That game will be nationally televised on ABC. Dallas improved to 32-29 on the season and moved within a half-game of the fifth-place Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Standings. San Antonio fell to 14-46 on the year.
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