Mavs coming through in clutch behind combo of Doncic, Irving
DENVER — Luka Doncic has been at his best — one of the NBA’s best, too, for that matter — in crunch time this season.
Same with the Dallas Mavericks, who are a league-leading 6-0 in clutch situations, which are defined as a scoring margin within five points and five or fewer minutes left in a game.
It’s a small sample size, but the Mavericks look to be taking shape in the first full season of the on-court collaboration between Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Last season, the Mavericks struggled in clutch time, posting a 6-15 mark after Irving’s arrival in the lineup following the trade with Brooklyn. The team ended up missing the postseason.
They just needed a little more time, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd contended, to fine tune their chemistry.
Now, they appear on the same page.
“When you have 77 [Doncic] and 11 [Irving] it’s an easy thing,” Kidd said of clutch moments. “We talked about last year. As much as we wanted for things to happen right away, you’ve got to go through the process of growing pains and getting to know one another.
“The other side of that, we’ve spent a lot of time on in-game situations, and everybody’s very comfortable.”
Lost in all the Victor Wembanyama mania and the James Harden trade saga has been the play of Doncic, who looks even more dynamic than ever, which is saying quite a bit about the point guard.
Even better, perhaps, than his video game version on NBA 2K (very “near,” rookie teammate Dereck Lively II cracked).
The 24-year-old Slovenian is doing, well, Luka things.
Doncic is nearly averaging a triple-double. And continuing the “it’s never too early to talk about league MVP award” conversation, Doncic’s odds, according to FanDuel Sportsook, are just slightly less than that of his buddy and two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
“It’s always nice to play against him,” said Jokic, whose team beat the Mavericks 125-114 last week. “He’s a great player. He’s unique. He’s controlling the game. He’s so versatile.”
Couple that with Irving and it’s led to a hot start for the Mavericks (6-1), who have the second-best mark in the Western Conference. They trail — only slightly — the reigning NBA-champion Nuggets (7-1).
“It’s been fun basketball,” Irving said. “It’s been fun to play.”
Doncic checks in at third on a list of seven players who have 20 or more “clutch points” so far this season. He’s 8 of 11 for 25 points down the stretch of close games, behind just Stephen Curry (28) and LeBron James (26). Also on the list are Damian Lillard (24), Donovan Mitchell (23), Wembanyama (23), the rookie sensation from France who’s taken the league by storm, and Mikal Bridges (20).