Luka Doncic set to join Kyrie Irving for pair's anticipated Mavericks debut vs. Kings
The Dallas Mavericks’ compelling Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving duo appears likely to debut Saturday night in Sacramento for the team’s second consecutive matchup with the Kings.
After the Brooklyn Nets’ blockbuster trade that sent Irving and Markieff Morris to Dallas for Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, fans got their first glimpse of Irving in blue and white Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring with an average 33.4 points per game, missed that win and Friday’s over the Kings. He has been out since Feb. 2 with a right heel injury, but is expected to return Saturday night, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.
“I think the most important thing we stressed as a team was don’t force the ball to me. We just want to play natural basketball. You don’t always have to come to me,” Irving said after his first game for Dallas.
On Friday, Dallas defeated the Kings 122-114 with assistance from Irving’s 25-point and 10-assist performance. The Mavericks led by as many as 24 points and never trailed.
While the pairing has been deemed questionable by some, Doncic told reporters Friday he’s excited for the change. "We both can play off the ball. For me, it'll be a learning process for sure. Outside of my first season, I didn't play off the ball. For a guy like him, it'll be easy,” Doncic said.
A Sacramento debut 20 years ago
The anticipation for the Mavericks duo's debut is loosely reminiscent of the buzz surrounding LeBron James’ first NBA game in 2003. Excitement surrounding what the young No. 1 pick would accomplish that night for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Sacramento is something the newly crowned all-time leading scorer still recalls fondly.
Despite his game-high 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals, the Kings reigned that night in a 106-92 win.
While that doesn’t seem like the likely outcome tonight, it’s what Sacramento will hope for as the team clings to its No. 3 Western Conference spot with Dallas right on its heels.
With Kings star De’Aaron Fox recently joining Domantas Sabonis to give Sacramento its first pair of All-Stars since 2004, the team is reportedly more than satisfied with the decision not to make any major moves before the trade deadline like the Mavericks did.
“We like our team,” head coach Mike Brown said at practice Thursday. “The guys have been competitive and they’re learning and growing throughout this process, and getting a little bit better. So it’s a good challenge for us.”
While Dallas evaluates the potential of its exciting new pair Saturday night, the Kings will have an opportunity to see just how much its core group learned from Friday’s loss.
