Jason Kidd Provides Two Reasons Why Kyrie Irving Won Mavs Game
DALLAS—Following the Dallas Mavericks' 119-99 destruction of the Chicago Bulls, Jason Kidd discussed Kyrie Irving's influence on the one-sided victory. Irving scored 15 points in the first quarter, triggering a snowball effect for the rest of the game, as his aggressive attack incited a team effort. Kidd discussed the other aspect of Irving's game, which mostly went uncovered on Wednesday evening.
© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
"Yeah, I thought Kai's defense got himself involved," Kidd said. "He came up with some steals there, got some layups, and then just took what the defense got. But I thought just the movement of being able to get the backdoor with Kai, being able to get the pass, I thought we used the pass well. Kai used the aisles to benefit, to get the layups early on."
Irving shot an efficient 6-7 from the field in the first quarter against the Bulls. As Kidd relayed, the Mavs All-Star guard's defense opened his opportunities and, in turn, the team's offense.
Although Irving took the brunt of the scoring possessions in the first quarter, it helped Luka Doncic's rhythm by preserving No. 77's energy for the latter stages of the game. Furthermore, instead of the ball sticking to Doncic in the opening period, Klay Thompson also got to shoot five shots rather than one that he attempted in the first quarter vs. the Indiana Pacers in the Mavs' 134-127 loss on Monday.
Irving's early attack played a pivotal role in the Mavs' largest margin of victory of the season, and such a strategy would benefit the championship contender in the long term.
