Kyrie Irving Saves Short-Handed Mavericks vs. Hungry Hawks
On a night where the Dallas Mavericks missed four rotation players, not including Dereck Lively II, who left Monday’s contest at the Atlanta Hawks due to an illness, someone needed to step up to evade a two-game losing streak. After a rough start to the game, Kyrie Irving staked his claim during his favorite period, the fourth quarter. The Mavericks won 129-119 courtesy of Luka Doncic's running mate.
As a player revered for his clutch performances, it should come as no surprise that Irving scored 16 points in the final period against a Hawks team that did its best to terrorize the Mavericks, given the 12-0 run to the end of the first half.
Nov 25, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) goes up for a shot against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena.
© Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Irving shot a miserable 11-28 from the field for the game, alluding to an off-performance against a team he's dominated in prior seasons. The NBA champion averaged 27.9 points in his last 10 outings vs. the Hawks.
However, in what could have easily led to the Mavericks' second consecutive loss in as many nights, Irving disregarded his poor shooting in the first three quarters; Irving saved the night with a 6-7 shooting line in the fourth quarter.
Although he finished with a subpar 39 percent mark from the field. Irving's 3-point shooting gave the Mavericks a landing spot for the road victory.
Irving finished the contest with a game-high 32 points, but how did he arrive at such a score?
Four of Irving's six made shots in the fourth came from 3. Irving's clutch performance saved the Mavericks from another loss to an inferior team. Due to his right wrist sprain, Doncic will miss Wednesday's contest vs. the New York Knicks.
Considering the game is at the American Airlines Center, perhaps the home cooking will read to another remarkable performance against the point guard he replaced, Jalen Brunson.
