Kyrie Irving Fires The Dallas Mavericks To Victory On His Debut

The thinking on whether the Mavericks should acquire Kyrie Irving was either for better or worse. His persona has been considered toxic, while his talent and skill can win championships. After a fallout with the owners of the Brooklyn Nets on his antisemitic views, Kyrie wanted to leave, and the hype about his next destination was the talk of the NBA.

Some pundits predicted Kyrie’s move would be to either the Phoenix Suns or the Los Angeles Lakers. The Phoenix Suns was a more probable destination where he could link up with his Nets teammate Kevin Durant, but he eventually picked the Mavericks.

The move will bring changes to the Mavericks, especially on its performance. Consequently, betting sites will have to adjust their odds to match the revamped teams. Before placing any bets, you can check for free bets to get you started and also check the form of the new players to know which team is most likely to win. 

The Dallas Mavericks faced the Los Angeles Clippers at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, hoping that Kyrie Irving would fill the void left by the injured Luka Doncic. He didn’t waste any time imposing his presence, as the Mavericks never went behind at any point in the game.

After missing two shots in the opening exchanges, he scored a mid-range shot followed by two 3-pointers when the team had offensive possessions bringing his total to 8 points early on. They rallied to a 13-0 scoreline courtesy of these back-to-back three-pointers.

His shooting was 9 points from 17 attempts, four successful three-pointers, and two free throws from the line for 24 points. Additionally, he registered four rebounds, five assists, one block, and one steal. While the Clippers pressed to change the momentum, he also managed to commit five turnovers in the 37 minutes he was in action. 

The Maverick’s MVP, Luca Doncic, was also present for the historic night, although he couldn’t play because of an ankle injury. He simply cheered on from the bench as his teammates forged chemistry with the new player. In fact, after Kyrie’s performance, there is already talk of the Mavericks being serious championship contenders. 

Irving managed a game-high 24 points despite only having a single practice session with his new team. Previously, the Dallas Mavericks had lost every game Luca Doncic missed, which amounted to seven games. It is a statistic that left them sliding down the standings, but if Kyrie’s inspiring performance is anything to go by, they are in the ascendance. More is expected when Doncic recovers from injury, and everyone hopes the comeback will be in their away game against Sacramento Kings.

The talk about championship stardom was already in overdrive when the trade rumours started surfacing. Doncic bore the weight of leading the offence almost entirely, and without him, the team struggled for wins. Without Doncic, Kyrie led the offence line impressively, even though he had only participated in a single practice session. 

The idea is that Doncic will be more efficient defensively as Kyrie takes up the mantle to lead the offensive line. A strong belief has engulfed the bench considering the head coach Jason Kidd, the general manager Nico Harrison, and Doncic himself pushed for the trade. 

In games, opponents quickly pick up Doncic, who, alongside the Philadelphia 76ser’s Joel Embiid, currently leads the league in scoring at 33.4 points per game. Rival coaches set up defensive barriers while tight-marking Doncic. Now with Kyrie in the picture, when opponent defenders double-team their defence on Doncic, he simply passes to Kyrie, who is just as efficient on the offence. 

He can quickly change the game’s momentum, creating space for other players, plus one-on-one dribbles to beat defenders. The only hope now is that he can show up for the Mavericks, especially on the big occasions, having missed up to 40% of his games for the Brooklyn Nets for various reasons. 

So far, if the win against the Clippers is anything to go by, he has started life at the Mavericks on a high note. It could even be the ‘trade of the season’ if they manage to feature in a final of the championship in the postseason.