The Dallas Mavericks have struggled to find their championship-level consistency this NBA regular season, sitting at a 5-5 record and showing mixed performances. Following a close 122-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Kyrie Irving delivered a clear message about the team’s defensive issues.
Despite his impressive performance of 43 points, five assists, and five rebounds, the Mavericks missed a chance to secure the win, holding a late lead before Michael Porter Jr. clinched it for the Nuggets with a floater in the final seconds. Irving took the last shot, a three-pointer to try and reclaim the lead, but it didn’t connect.
Afterward, Irving called his big night an “empty performance” and emphasized the need for defensive improvement. “Yeah, it was an empty performance,” Irving said at the postgame press conference. “It feels good to get some shots to go in; it was a great and efficient game.”
“But at the end of the day, I closed out to Michael [Porter Jr.], kept him down and on his right hand,” he added. “I ran him off the three-point line, but he just got in that lane and had a nice floater. But our defensive scheme could be better. We just got to keep talking to each other, but I do feel like our communication was great tonight. Especially when we were making mistakes, we would come up with a good rhythm.”
Irving reflects on missed game-winner
The former Celtics star expressed his disappointment over missing the game-winner and noted areas for improvement in organizing. “ We’ll look at the film, but this one right here — it was definitely emotional,” Irving said. “Just because I felt like we had a great chance to win. Missing a game-winner sucks.”
“I feel like we could have been better organized,” Irving continued. “Luka [Dončić] had an iso, which isn’t terrible for us, but him and Peyton Watson, we were just very stagnant down the stretch. So yeah, man, just gotta be better, that’s all.”
Irving previews Warriors matchup and Thompson’s return
Next up for the Mavericks is a showdown in the NBA Emirates Cup against the Golden State Warriors, marking Klay Thompson’s anticipated return to San Francisco. For the meeting, the Warriors are expected to have big plans to honor Thompson.
Reflecting on Thompson’s emotions involved in such a reunion, Irving noted, “The biggest thing is just the human aspect of emotions. It’s just gonna be haywire, man,” he said, per Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News.
“You don’t know how to really feel because you’ve been in a routine with another team for a long period of time… you just start reflecting on all those intentional moments where you spent time with people that really want to win, and you guys were all committed to a bigger goal,” he added.
“But outside of that, I think it’s just about having fun. Being able to look some of your old fans in the face and tell them thank you, and they thank you in their own way too,” Irving said.