There’s this subtle way Kyrie Irving has of dominating a game without it appearing as though he’s not a factor at all.
During several stages of a game, the Dallas Mavericks’ guard will be doling out assists, running the offense, playing solid defense and working inside for rebounds. Then, all of a sudden Irving will explode and drain a couple of three-pointers, fire in a couple of jump shots, or maneuver his way inside for a driving layup – with the use of his right or left hand.
All of it is awe-inspiring stuff that defies gravity and leaves on-lookers wondering how exactly did he do that. Several of the aforementioned Irving-engineered plays were on display during the Mavs’ 132-91 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
“You’re talking about one of the best players in the world, so whenever you mention Kai, he’s one of the best players in the world,” coach Jason Kidd said. “I think some things are going to be talked about a little bit more. His handle and his finishing are the best in the world.”
As Irving dazzled the sellout crowd at American Airlines Center with his eye-popping ball-handling skills, he finished Tuesday’s contest with 18 points and seven 
assists in just 27 minutes. He also was 6-of-11 from the floor, including a very effective 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.
“I think sometimes his shooting is probably lost,” Kidd said. “You look at what he does in a rhythm, a flow, it’s not forced. He takes what the defense gives him.
“So, just his basketball IQ, I think it’s lost in that, too. But his shooting is, again, we can nit-pick and say his free throws need to be better, but that’s nit-picking.”
When asked why he believes Irving is as efficient hoisting a jumper or shooting in traffic, point guard Luka Dončić said: “It’s simple. Because he’s Kyrie Irving. I get to see it every day, and it’s so amazing to this day and it still amazes me.
“He’s just unbelievable. Even in practice you can see some of this stuff. He plays the same in games. It’s unbelievable to watch him. He’s never going to be the tallest guy on the floor, and the way he finishes with the ball is just unbelievable. And then his jump shot, every time he goes up I just feel he can’t miss it.”
What amazes most about the 6-2 Irving is he’s the master at doing a lot of damage while being surrounded by much taller defenders.
“He’s never going to be the tallest guy on the floor, and the way he finishes with the ball is just unbelievable,” Dončić said. “And then his jump shot, every time he goes up I just feel he can’t miss it.”
As far as the Mavs go, they believe Irving is a can’t-miss in whatever he does.
“He’s shooting the three at a very high level,” Kidd said. “He might be the only one shooting the three at a decent clip, and we’ve got to get the rest of them going.”
Here are the three takeaways from the Mavs’ 41-point win over Pelicans.
BENCH WAS POPPING: In their best outing of the season, the Mavs received a performance fit for a king from their bench. Overall, the Mavs’ bench outscored their Pelican counterparts, 56-28, and outrebounded them by a 25-11 margin. The Mavs’ reserves also had more assists (9-7) and more steals (5-4) than New Orleans’ reserves. As a whole, the Mavs’ bench players were 21-of-37 from the field for 56.8 percent, while the Pelicans’ bench players were 10-of-27 from the floor 
for 37 percent. The Mavs’ bench was led by Naji Marshall (15 points, three steals), Quentin Grimes (12 points, eight rebounds), Daniel Gafford (11 points, six rebounds) and Jaden Hardy (11 points).
THOMPSON RE-DISCOVERED HIS SHOT: One game after his worst shooting output of the season, Mavs forward Klay Thompson was 6-of-15 from the field – including 5-of-9 from three-point range – and scored 19 points in Tuesday’s game. That came after Thompson tallied just five points in Sunday’s contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ironically, as a member of the Golden State Warriors, Thompson was 1-of-11 from the field on Dec. 30, 2023 during a 132-122 loss — to the Mavs.
POINTS IN THE PAINT: The Mavs wore out the Pelicans inside the paint on Tuesday, where they either finished field goal attempts with dunks, layups or short jump shots. Before it was all said and done, the Mavs scored a whopping 66 points in the paint on 33-of-58 attempts for a sizzling 56.9 percent. By contrast, the Pelicans tallied 34 paint points on 17-of-34 shots for 50 percent.
X: @DwainPrice
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