Dončić, Irving showing why they’re one of NBA’s top duos

BROOKLYN – What the last two games have shown everyone is that Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are one of the most dynamic duos in the NBA.

Tuesday night against Brooklyn, Dončić and Irving combined for 71 points, 20 rebounds, 14 assists and four steals in leading the Mavs to a 119-107 victory over the Nets. They also were 28-of-51 from the field, including 10-of-21 from beyond the three-point arc.

In a nutshell, the challenges of containing both Dončić and Irving are very high.

“Kai has the extreme ability to shot-make versus anyone,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “I thought he had some timely buckets for that group.”

Irving collected 36 points, five assists and two steals in 40 minutes. He was 16-of-24 from the floor — including 6-of-10 from the three-point line — and didn’t even attempt any free throws. Dončić was 13-of-27 from the floor, including 4-of-11 from downtown to go with 18 rebounds, nine assists and two steals.

“Both are lethal scorers and willing to find other guys,” Nets forward Mikal Bridges said. “You see what they did (Tuesday).

“But what they do when they’re both playing, it’s tough to (defend). You just got to try to get as many stops as you can.”

During Monday’s 118-102 win in Philadelphia, Dončić and Irving combined for 42 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. They were 16-of-32 from the field, and 6-of-13 from beyond the three-point arc.

Trying to stop both Dončić and Irving on a nightly basis is like a driver hopeful of being able to weave through rush-hour traffic. The chances are very, very slim, if not impossible.

“We had different coverages throughout the course of the night,” Vaughn said. “They’re a team that is geared towards picking on matchups, which they were able to do for the majority of the night.”

Here are the three takeaways from the Mavs’ 12-point win over the Nets.

HARDAWAY BOUNCES BACK: It wasn’t talked about much, but the bounce-back game for Tim Hardaway Jr. was pivotal during the win over the Nets. On Monday against Philadelphia, Hardaway went scoreless for the first time this season. He missed all eight of his field goal attempts, including all five of his three-pointers. But against the Nets, Hardaway scored 14 points — he was 4-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-7 from downtown – and also grabbed seven rebounds.

GREEN SHOWED HIS TRUE VALUE: Josh Green continues to hit timely shot after timely shot while continuing to show that he’s a very valuable piece in the Mavs’ arsenal on a long-term basis. After out-playing Sixers’ All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey on Monday, 24 hours later Green buried a three-pointer which gave the Mavs an insurmountable 116-105 lead over the Nets with just 2:05 remaining in the game. The four-year veteran is strategically putting on a clinic on both ends of the floor.

THREE-POINTERS FLOODED THE AIRWAYS: In a game which included 76 three-point attempts, the Mavs were better than the Nets at hitting their mark from long distance. The Mavs were 19-of-43 from three-point territory for a solid 44.2 percent, while the Nets jacked up 33 triples and converted only 12 of them for 36.4 percent. The Mavs also outscored the Nets in fast break points, 15-11. That includes a breakaway dunk by Josh Green late in the game.

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