Sunday’s Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns matchup will be the first time Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant square off, since being traded from the Brooklyn Nets.
Dallas landed Irving in a blockbuster move back on February 5. They sent Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick, and multiple seconds to Nets in exchange for the All-Star.
Just days later, Durant was dealt to the Suns along with TJ Warren, with Brooklyn netting Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, 4 first-round draft picks and a 2028 first-round pick swap in return.
After Dallas’ recent win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Irving was asked about the impending matchup against his ex-teammate and good friend.
“Playing against the new-look Suns with KD and I think it’ll be an exciting time for us to compete again, compete against each other,” Irving told reporters. “That’s my brother for life, again, but when we’re stepping out there I’m looking forward to the competition, the friendly competition.”
Kyrie Irving Praises Luka Doncic, Mavs Teammates In Win vs. 76ers
Not only was the star guard pumped to face his old friend, but also about the fact that he and Luka Doncic had just delivered an offensive onslaught against the 76ers.
The pairing combined to score 82 points, marking the first time Mavericks teammates have ever scored more than 40 apiece, according to ESPN.
Kyrie’s 40 point night came after a rough showing against the Indiana Pacers Tuesday. In that game, he scored just 16, knocking down only 7 of his 19 attempts from the floor.
After the 133-126 win over Philly, he explained what he did differently on Thursday.
“I just embraced my teammates,” Irving said. “It was a hard-fought game. And we did everything to make sure we were poised down the stretch. We’re just paying attention to the game plan. There’s been a few losses over last week where we felt like they were very winnable games, and it came down to the [final] stretch. You know, three points, four points, two points. So, it was definitely a different approach tonight for us as a team because we really wanted this. I really wanted this. But I think, like I said, the last time I was sitting up here, I just had to join the party. You know, and just make sure my teammates were going to follow along. And Luka was ready for the party, I was ready for the party tonight. And it was one of those games where we had some special performances, and I’m just grateful that the work translated because it could have gone either way. We could either kind of lay down and just let things happen and kind of blame it on the refs or blame it on other things, but sitting up here every single night and not having excuses. It’s knowing we just got to respond and do what’s necessary to win ball games. So, it felt good.”
Tobias Harris Praises Mavs’ Kyrie Irving & Luka Doncic
For Mavs fans, watching Irving and Doncic light the court on fire was a fun time. However, for someone like Tobias Harris, who was on the wrong end of the big night, the experience was a bit different.
Harris was somewhat in awe of what he’d witnessed and went on to explain how Irving’s presence makes defending Doncic even harder.
“Two guys [darn] near had a 100 points on us,” Harris told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. “But that was tough with one wizard with the basketball in Luka. Now they got two of them out there. So I mean, those are tough matchups. Those are some of the best guys with the basketball in the whole league. And they just picked us apart tonight just being able to get to their spots and raise up and score. You got to give them a lot of credit, too, because they made tough shots.”
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Mavs’ Kyrie Irving Sends Simple Message on Kevin Durant Ahead of Suns Matchup