Luka Doncic pushed Mavericks to trade for Kyrie Irving

Durant and the Suns will travel to Dallas for a matchup against Irving and the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon. And while Durant acknowledged this game will be circled on the calendar for many, he downplayed feeling anything extra heading into his first matchup against his former teammate. “Just another game,” Durant said after Friday’s 125-104 victory against the Chicago Bulls. “I understand the entertainment aspect and a lot of people on the outside got the game circled on their calendar, but for both teams, just regularly scheduled programming. Getting back to work and seeing how you can get better as a unit.” -via ESPN / March 4, 2023

Afterward, Irving said he was looking forward to facing Durant, referring to Sunday’s meeting as “friendly competition.” “I’m looking forward to it — playing against the Suns, playing against the new-look Suns with KD,” Irving said. “I think it’ll be an exciting time just for us to compete again with each other. He’s my brother for life, but when we’re stepping out there, I’m looking forward to the competition, friendly competition.” -via ESPN / March 4, 2023

That’s what happened in Thursday’s 133-126 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, when Doncic led Dallas with 42 points and 12 assists and Irving added 40 points and six assists. The Mavs got only their second win out of the pair’s six games together. It was the first time in franchise history that a pair of Mavs scored at least 40 points each in a game, the sort of spectacular offensive show that Dallas hoped for after pulling off the February blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets to team Irving with Doncic. “Like I said last time I was sitting up here, I just had to join the party and just make sure my teammates were going to follow along,” Irving said, referring to his comments after Tuesday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers, when he acknowledged that he felt pressure to perform for a new team that is fighting for playoff positioning. “Luka was ready for the party, I was ready for the party tonight, and it was one of those games tonight where we had some special performances. I’m just grateful that the work translated.” -via ESPN / March 3, 2023

“I’ve got to keep it up, man,” said Irving, who was 15-of-22 from the floor and 6-of-8 from 3-point range. “I’ve just got to keep it up and stay consistent in terms of just being prepared for when he’s going to pass and get used to his flow in the game.” Doncic, the NBA’s scoring leader, also came out aggressive, looking for his own shot as well. He had 17 points in the first quarter and 25 at halftime. “I just enjoyed watching those two working off of each other,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “As much as we play the game on paper, it’s still played on the court. They’ve got to work through the kinks, but I think at the end of the day, we’ll be happy with what we have.” -via ESPN / March 3, 2023

StatMuse: First Mavs teammates with 40+ points in the same game. pic.twitter.com/r3QmKrDY4S -via Twitter @statmuse / March 3, 2023