Kyrie Irving on Mavs’ Blown Lead vs. Lakers: ‘I Have To Do Better’
After starting their six-game homestand with a blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks weren’t able to keep the momentum going as they blew a 27-point lead in a 111-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. It was the first time any team had blown a lead of at least 27 points this season.
“It’s a tale of two halves. I think tonight showed it,” Kyrie Irving said after the loss. “First half we were playing incredible, other than the last three minutes of the first half where I think we came in up 14. We were up 25 or 23 … I’ve been quoted saying this, ‘There is no 20-point lead that is safe in this league anymore,’ just because of pace and style of the game.”
Irving finished with 21 points, a team-high 11 rebounds and five assists, but he shot just 8-22 from the field, including an uncharacteristic 2-10 from deep. Although there were many reasons for the Mavs’ collapse, Irving took responsibility for not being more aggressive in the fourth quarter.
“But for us, I think we showed some great poise in the third quarter. But in that fourth quarter, I have to do a better job of just getting us into some initiated offensive sets and just be aggressive and not kind of force my way into the lane,” Irving said.
“I feel like after they were scoring, there were a few times I tried to rush the ball up-court and answer back with a three. I just have to let the flow of the game dictate my instincts and then be able to withstand some of the Lakers’ runs, especially when Luka’s [Doncic] not out there.”
Irving and Doncic have shown great offensive potential in limited time together, but end-of-game situations are still very much a work in progress. Trailing 108-105 with 18 seconds remaining and having possession, Irving attempted to throw the inbound pass into the backcourt due to the intense pressure Lakers wing Jarred Vanderbilt was applying to Doncic. Unfortunately for Dallas, Doncic forgot that the ball could be thrown into the backcourt, and the confusion resulted in a catastrophic turnover.
“It happened so fast. I thought Luka needed a little but more room so I threw it towards the backcourt because I thought Jarred Vanderbilt did a great job denying him,” Irving said.
“I thought he was just going to let it bounce twice and then go grab it, but once I saw him try to save it from halfcourt I looked at him maybe like a minute later and was like, ‘You know you can go backcourt,’ and he was like, ‘Ah, man. That’s my fault.’ This is what it’s going to be like when you’re learning in-game with one another.
“It’s not going to look pretty all the time. Just have to enjoy the process the same way. Wins and losses come, but I know that moving forward we will definitely be more aligned, and coming out of the timeout we’ll have a better play.”
When a team blows a 27-point lead, there’s not one person to blame. It was truly a team effort for the Mavs in this disappointment, from Doncic being distracted by the officials, to coach Jason Kidd making some questionable rotation choices.
Irving took responsibility for his part in the fourth-quarter meltdown, but when it comes down to it, it was simply an off shooting night for the star point guard. He’ll have an opportunity to bounce back against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, and our money is on Irving doing just that.
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