SACRAMENTO – If the debut was any indication, this new Mavericks’ show is going to be wildly entertaining.
Luka Dončić got on the court for the first time with Kyrie Irving as his new backcourt mate and while the Mavericks took a hard 133-128 loss in overtime to the Sacramento Kings, it was a grand glimpse of what could be in store.
“Let’s just get this party started,” Irving said of the new union. “Let’s get this thing going. Really simple. Not too much communication between us before the game. Just be yourself. It’s well understood. Just communicate. We’re always going to rely on our IQ and skill set.”
But he was “grateful” to get the first game with Luka out of the way.
“While I was out there, it felt really special just in terms of opportunities we had to really learn from one another,” Irving said. “Tonight was just one of those games that could have gone either way. Wish we could have gotten the win, but just learn from this but it’s an exciting time.”
The Dončić-Irving combo teamed up for 55 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists and it was Irving’s three-pointer with 24.6 seconds left in overtime that got the Mavericks within 127-126.
But Sacramento All-Star De’Aaron Fox got fouled with 18.4 seconds left and canned both free throws.
Luka tried a three-pointer that was well-defended from his favorite spot, but it went off the rim and Fox made two free throws with 8.3 seconds left to seal it.
Fox had 36 points, 26 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
But Dončić, who had missed the last four games with a right heel contusion, came out of the game impressed with the possibilities of his new teammate.
“Amazing,” he said. “It’s only our first game together, but I think it’s so fun to play with this guy. He’s an amazing basketball player. I think it’s going to be really fun. I think the whole team thinks that.
“What I learned is we’re already not new. He’s an amazing basketball player. It’s going to be really fun.”
Just remember that even some of the best innovations in history started a bit slowly. Think of kind of like that first airplane flight that lasted only 12 seconds?
Things got a lot better quickly after that.
And when Luka and Kyrie were running the two-man game late against the Kings, it was a clear indication of what we’ll likely see a lot of in the future.
“It’s a learning process, but I think that could be really lethal for us,” Dončić said. “And it’s hard, I think, to guard both of us. So they’ll be less doubles and just us (getting) to work.”
The view from the bench was good too.
“I thought it was good,” coach Jason Kidd said. “For the first time for those guys to play minutes together, I thought it was really, really good. It was natural. There was nothing forced.
“And I thought this was a great game for us. As much as we would like to be on the winning side, just to play late with the game tied or going back and forth, understanding the dynamic of those two, to be able to play off each other late, I think it’s going to make us that much better. It was smooth. Now it’s just a matter of getting minutes.”
Ultimately, though, the new show in town will need some time to get things well-oiled.
With Dončić running the show much of the way and Irving taking over at the end of regulation, the Mavericks had their chances. But Fox denied them every time.
Christian Wood gave the Mavericks a nice spark early in the fourth quarter and then Irving and Dončić took over.
But the Kings were riding Fox hard. His steal of a slow Luka pass to Reggie Bullock led to Fox’s dunk and a 112-111 Kings’ lead with 1:35 to go.
The Kings fouled Dwight Powell with 1:27 to go, a call that was challenged unsuccessfully. He tied it by making the first of two free throws. He would do so again with two freebies after Fox scored for the Kings.
But when Fox’s three-pointer at the buzzer wasn’t close to going in, overtime loomed.
The numbers certainly were impressive for the Mavericks. Luka had 27 points and Irving had 28. Josh Green had 23 and Wood had 15, most of them in the fourth quarter to keep the Mavericks afloat.
To finish this 10-day trip 4-1 would have been huge for the Mavericks, but the Kings clearly were offended by the way they were handled 24 hours earlier, when the Mavericks whipped them 122-114.
And so, the Mavericks went 3-2 on the odyssey, completely respectable after dropping the first game at Golden State.
And Luka and Kyrie definitely got plenty of chances to run the pick-and-roll together. The two-man game was a staple for the Mavericks in the fourth quarter, in particular.
“I think the pick and roll with those two is going to be really good for us,” Kidd said.
As for the shot Luka got with the Kings up 129-126, Kidd said: “He’s going to take tough shots and he makes a lot of those. With Kai reading the situation, he gave the ball to Luka. It was a read between Kai and LD. And for the first time, late game, I thought we did a really good job.”
Said Dončić about that play: “That’s my bad. I should have gave it back to Kai. For me, it’s still a learning process. But for sure I should have given it back. He was really hot down the stretch, so that’s on me, for sure.”
Neither side got a handle on this game until late, but both threatened to do so. Each went on some streaks that built solid leads. But there was always a rally just around the corner.
It was a stark reversal from Friday night, when the Mavericks rolled up a 24-point first-half lead and never really looked back.
There were no early knockout punches on Saturday.
But the Mavericks had every reason to feel good about going 3-2 on this trip and, more importantly, the unveiling of their new superstar duo.
Twitter: @ESefko
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