‘He plays at a tremendous tempo’ – Kyrie Irving heaps praise on Dallas Mavericks talisman Luka Doncic

Kyrie Irving praised Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic after the Nets’ 129-125 overtime loss on Thursday (October 27).

Doncic scored 41 points (on 14-of-28 shooting) in 41 minutes while adding 14 assists and 11 rebounds. He’s only the 10th player in NBA history to accomplish three 40-point triple-doubles.

Kevin Durant’s dunking with less than 10 seconds left in regulation triggered overtime for the Nets. Instead of letting Doncic attempt the game-winner, they forced it out of his hands, resulting in a missed Reggie Bullock three-pointer. Doncic scored two field goals and assisted on all four Mavericks baskets in overtime despite the Nets’ efforts to limit him.

Durant scored 37 points on 12-of-21 shooting, and Irving scored 39 on 14-of-31. In his post-game press conference, Irving compared the matchup to a pick-up game at the park.

“It’s like five-on-five,” he remarked. “Luka brings his people, I and [Durant] bring our players, and you know where the offense goes.” On defense, you want to take on challenges.  I was moved onto Luka a couple of times and felt I did well. You can only do so much, so make it hard. It’s fun to battle, but we want to win. It’s fun to play against him.

Irving continued by adding that Doncic and the Mavericks had excellent team attributes, “We need to know how long he’s played professionally,” he said. “Since he was 14 or 15. Now that he’s in the NBA, he’s acclimated to so many defenses and responsibilities, and he plays at a tremendous tempo. He makes terrific judgments, most of the offense goes through him, and he gets to the line. He utilizes all of basketball’s regulations. All of the men around him do their positions well – they’re a fantastic team, and they’re only growing better. You can sense their continuity and trust from past confrontations. No panicking. Great teamwork!” 

Steve Nash said it doesn’t matter how predictable the Mavericks’ offense is if Doncic is running it. He said, “He improves others. He improves his teammates’ play.”14 assists, including ‘hockey assists’ He’s really demanding. They keep giving it to him in pick-and-roll, and he makes a play. He handles this virtually every night. Doncic declared it “nearly impossible” to slow down Irving and Durant and said, “as long as we win, I’m good”. The Nets are now 1-4, while Mavericks are 2-2.

 

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