The Dallas Mavericks showcased their resilience, overcoming adversity to secure a 111-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors despite dealing with injuries and the absence of key player Anthony Davis. After the game, team leader Kyrie Irving shared his thoughts on the experience of competing against an elite player like Stephen Curry.
Irving was unstoppable, scoring a game-high 42 points and adding seven assists to secure the win. On the opposing side, Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 25 points, five rebounds, and eight assists, but his efforts fell short against Irving’s heroics.
Following the game, Irving reflected on competing against Curry, a player he considers among the best in NBA history. “It’s incredible, man,” Irving said about playing against Curry, via Joey Mistretta. “I’ve gone on record saying that, that’s the guy for us as point guards. Outside of Magic [Johnson] and Isaiah Thomas, Steph has etched himself as one of the most legendary players of all time”.
Irving emphasized the unique challenge of going up against elite players like Curry, describing it as a test of his own skills and a chance to rise to the occasion. “For me, that’s me just testing my game against him,” Irving said. “When you go against the best of the best, you want to play well. We know each other’s games very well, a lot of matchups”.
Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket against Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
“But at the same time, some of the things he’s accomplished, I’m still trying to accomplish—to be a multi-time championship winner in our league. It’s the toughest thing to do,” he added.
see also
Kyrie Irving makes something clear to Mavericks fans amid team’s injury struggles
Curry commends Irving’s leadership
Stephen Curry had high praise for Irving’s performance and leadership, especially in light of the challenges the Mavericks are facing, including injuries and the lingering tension from Luka Doncic’s departure.
“That’s what great players do—they respond in all types of adversity,” Curry said. “The thing about it is we gave a guy like that, especially in that first half, a couple of breakdowns, and he was able to take advantage of them”.
“That just gives him even more life, more energy than he probably already had coming into the game,” Curry continued. “He made a lot of big shots. We tried to make it tough on him, but when he gets going, it’s kind of hard to stop”.
Klay Thompson praises Irving’s performance
Former Warriors player Klay Thompson also recognized Irving’s pivotal role in the Mavericks’ victory, especially as the team navigated its struggles. Thompson himself had a rough shooting night, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting from the field and 5-of-14 from beyond the arc.
“That was special,” Thompson said of Irving’s performance, via ESPN. “That was incredible—42 and the defensive stop of the night. Yeah, that was incredible. Needed it bad, especially when I didn’t have my best shooting night. That’s our point guard, man. That was ridiculous”.
