Inconsistency is about the only consistent theme of the Dallas Mavericks’ injury-riddled season.
The Mavericks began most of the new year with the task of playing without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They briefly adjusted to life without their two superstars, but they’ll face a new challenge going forward since Irving has returned to the lineup.
Irving split the team’s back-to-back series against the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans to manage the bulging disc in his back. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said the Mavericks’ role players relied solely on Irving’s offensive skill set in his last appearance. With Irving back from a game of rest, Kidd hoped for a different outcome this time around.
“Hopefully better rhythm and flow,” Kidd said. “It’s something that we just didn’t have the last time against Denver with Kai. Hopefully we can get that early on.”
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That mistake wasn’t duplicated in Friday’s 106-98 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, who played for the first time this season without MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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Irving was the leading scorer in the latest win to snap a four-game losing streak, but he wasn’t the primary source of offense for the Mavericks. P.J. Washington served as Irving’s co-star with 16 points. Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in another 16.
Irving’s gravity was apparent on the Mavericks’ first play of the game. He made an aggressive drive to the basket and drew two Thunder defenders. The veteran guard quickly recognized the numbers advantage and threw the ball out to Dinwiddie, who found Washington in the corner for a 3-pointer and the game’s opening points.
That decision forced the Thunder to stick close to the Mavericks’ role players throughout the first quarter. Once Washington scored the first five points, Irving asserted himself and drained a 3-pointer before finishing at the basket with a finger roll to give the Mavericks an early 10-0 lead.
Irving scored a game-high 25 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
The trickle-down effect of Irving’s return changes the dynamic for Dallas’ backcourt play. Dinwiddie joined Irving in the backcourt and Naji Marshall returned to the bench. Jaden Hardy, who was in the midst of an offensive surge, was the first guard off the bench in Irving’s absence.
Hardy didn’t appear in Friday’s game until the second quarter, but his time on the floor was short-lived. Not due to a lack of minutes, but because he suffered a right ankle sprain 90 seconds into the second quarter. The Mavericks’ latest injury forced Irving to play more than the 30-33 minutes Kidd anticipated. Dwight Powell also left Friday’s game with a right hip injury, adding to the list of bodies on the Mavericks’ injury report.
Irving struggled from the field with a 9-of-19 shooting night, but his presence made Oklahoma City’s top-rated defense trap him throughout the night. One night after Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a lopsided victory over Cleveland by scoring 40 points through three quarters, Irving showed why the Mavericks have a chance to win whenever he’s on the floor.
The Mavericks have emerged victorious for the second time in three games against Oklahoma City. They’ll conclude the season series against the top-seeded Thunder on Thursday in Oklahoma City.
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