CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For those who simply may have forgotten, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving reminded everyone on Sunday that he, too, is one
of the best players on this planet.
Irving tallied a whopping 48 points, was 15-of-25 from the field, 3-of-8 from three-point land and 15-of-17 from the charity stripe while guiding the Mavs to a stunning come-from-behind 147-136 overtime triumph over the Houston Rockets. It was Irving’s best game as a member of the Mavs, and coach Jason Kidd acknowledged that the No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft has accomplished everything they’ve expected him to accomplish.
“He’s one of the best players in the world,” Kidd said. “He’s playing the game at a high level. He’s in a great place.”
Irving poured in 19 of his points against the Rockets in the frantic comeback of a game the Mavs trailed by as much as 22 points.
“The energy is extremely high, the vibe is good, so he’s doing everything that we expected him to do,” Kidd said. “And he’s doing it at a high level.”
Irving has played in 29 consecutive games since returning on Feb. 5 against Philadelphia from missing six games with a sprained right thumb, and the Mavs are an impressive 22-7 in those games. The Mavs also are 14-2 in their last 16 games heading into Tuesday’s 6 p.m. contest at the Spectrum Center against the Charlotte Hornets.
Meanwhile, the 48 points Irving scored against Houston made him the sixth player in Mavs history to score at least 48 points in a game. The other five are Mark Aguirre, Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn, Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Dončić.
Also, the 48 points are the most Irving has scored with the Mavs and ties for the eighth-most points he’s scored in a game in his career. In addition, because he too is a high level player, Irving has taken some of the pressure off Dončić, who often sees more than his fair share of double-teams, especially when the game is on the line.
“He’s making the game easy for Luka,” Kidd said. “But also for the other (three) who are on the floor, and it’s fun to watch.”
Here are some other nuggets surrounding Tuesday’s game between the Mavs and Hornets.
*The Mavs are on the road for a brief two-game trip that involves Tuesday’s contest in Charlotte and Wednesday’s game in Miami before they return
to Dallas to play their regular season home finale on Friday against Detroit.
*For the Hornets, Tuesday’s game against the Mavs is the last of a massive eight-game home stand. The Hornets are just 2-5 on this home stand. They defeated Cleveland, 118-111, to open this home stand on March 27. The Hornets also beat Orlando, 124-115, this past Friday.
*This will be the first meeting between Dallas and Charlotte since the Mavs acquired P.J. Washington and a pair of second-round picks from the Hornets for Grant Williams, Seth Curry and a 2027 first-round draft pick on Feb. 8. In 26 games with the Mavs, Washington is averaging 12.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg in 33 mpg. In 27 games with Charlotte, Williams has averaged 13.9 ppg and 5.2 rpg, and is shooting 50 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three-point range in 30.7 mpg. And in eight games with the Hornets, Curry is averaging 9.0 ppg and 1.8 apg, and has made 44.1 percent of his field goals and 32.1 percent of his three-pointers in 19.9 mpg.
*Mavs center Dereck Lively II (right knee sprain) is out Tuesday, while forward Maxi Kleber (back spasms) is questionable and guard Josh Green (right ankle sprain) is doubtful.
*Hornets rookie forward Brandon Miller had the game of his life in last Friday’s upset victory over Orlando when he finished with 32 points. In the first half, Miller had 26 points – he was 10-of-10 from the field at that juncture — and had converted five three-pointers. He joins Stephen Curry as the only players in NBA history to score at least 25 points with a perfect shooting percentage from the field and free throw line while attempting at least five three-pointers – all in one half. The No. 2 overall pick in last summer’s NBA Draft, Miller has been the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month the past three months and is averaging 17.2 ppg and shooting 37 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
*Before this season, Mavs forward Dante Exum had no game-tying or go-ahead baskets in his career in the final moments of the fourth quarter or overtime. He now has two. In addition to the game-tying three-pointer which sent Sunday’s game against Houston into overtime, Exum also nailed the game-winning three-pointer with 27.5 seconds remaining on March 29 as the Mavs nipped the Sacramento Kings, 107-103. The triple by Exum 
snapped a 103-103 tie as the Mavs rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat the Kings.
*Luka Dončić is coming off a 37-point, nine-rebound, 12-assist performance against Houston. That’s the 29th time in his career that Dončić has missed a triple-double by one rebound or one assist. That’s also happened to him nine times this season. In addition, Dončić has an NBA-high 31 games where he’s scored at least 35 points this season. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is second on that list with 20.
*Mavs forward P.J. Washington has two career double-doubles since joining the Mavs on Feb. 8, and they are identical. In addition to scoring 14 points and snatching 13 rebounds on Sunday against Houston, Washington also poured in 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds on March 26 against Sacramento.
*Hornets coach Steve Clifford announced last week that he is stepping down as the team’s coach after this season to accept a front office position. Clifford is in his second season coaching the Hornets, and the game against the Mavs will be his final home game. Thus, the Hornets plan on showing a tribute to Clifford on the video board prior to Tuesday’s game.
DALLAS MAVERICKS (48-30) at CHARLOTTE HORNETS (19-59)
When: 6 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte
TV: WFAA, UniMás
Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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