DENVER – Kyrie Irving was fantastic against the Nuggets on Sunday with 43 points.
He hit six of eight three-pointers, four of them in the fourth quarter, and put the Mavericks in position to win a game at an arena where victories are hard to come by.
When the Mavericks walked out with a 122-120 loss, Irving looked only in the mirror in analyzing what went wrong.
“I got to be better in the fourth quarter,” he said. “The past few fourth quarters, I’ve turned the ball over down the stretch. I just got to be more organized.
“Those fourth quarters really mean a lot. When we’re in these tight games, my teammates are looking to me not just to make a play, but also to stay poised. So I got to be better, man. I’m holding myself accountable to the ultimate level.”
Admirable responsibility, but perhaps a bit misplaced. Without Irving on Sunday, the Mavericks would have had no chance down the stretch.
The superstar guard’s shotmaking was a thing of beauty all game. He hit 17-of-22 shots, and was 6-of-8 from three-point land.
“Kyrie’s been spectacular all year,” Klay Thompson said. “His shotmaking is second to none. But it’s on us other guys to knock some more shots down. It was a tough one tonight.
“We didn’t shoot the ball too well from three (4-of-25 other than Irving). I was a big part of that going one of six. Got some good looks though. Basketball is a funny game.”
Said coach Jason Kidd: “It was Kyrie. He was reading the defense and took advantage of some of the mistakes they might have made or beat the coverage.
“His patience, his calmness throughout the start of the season has been at a very high level. He’s playing at a different level right now. And we’re going to need that.”
Here’s a few other takeaways from the heartbreaker against Denver:
Improvement in controllable areas: Kidd had lashed out at the team for a general low level of energy in recent games. He was pleased with the way they responded, saying that the effort and energy was where it needed to be for four quarters. The players noticed, too. “I like the way we did compete tonight,” Thompson said. “We competed very hard.”
No Joke: Nikola Jokic hasn’t won three MVP awards for no reason. He put up ridiculous numbers on Sunday with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists. He also had three steals. It was the fourth consecutive game in which Jokic has had a triple double and it was his sixth in 10 games this season. “The numbers he’s putting up are MVP numbers,” Kidd said of the Joker.
Shrinking rotation: Kidd played only nine players on Sunday, giving three of the four reserves who played at least 14 minutes. “We’re not just going to shuffle the cards,” he said. “We’re going to try to give a little longer stint for the guys to play. It’s early. We’ll try to give them some continuity, some rhythm. Cutting their minutes in half, there’s no rhythm for them. So we’re looking at something different right now. We’ll give someone else a crack at it maybe in the next game.” Spencer Dinwiddie played 20 minutes, Jaden Hardy 19 and Dwight Powell 14. O-Max Prosper was the only other reserve to see action, receiving 8 minutes.
X: @ESefko
Share and comment