Kyrie Irving came up big once again in Big D.
Kyrie Irving notched his third straight game of 30-plus points, and the Dallas Mavericks (31-26) somehow keep winning. The Mavericks held off a rampaging Zion Williamson and his merry band of New Orleans Pelicans (13-43), 111-103, on Friday at American Airlines Center.
Irving led all scorers with 35 points, and he required just 37 minutes to get it done. He wasn’t especially efficient from outside, but Irving played a complete game to lead the Mavs to their fifth win in the team’s last six games. He turned the ball over just once in the win. PJ Washington scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half in his first game back after suffering a sprained ankle before the NBA All-Star break.
Williamson led the Pelicans with 29 points in the loss. Here are five key stats that tell the tale of the Mavericks’ latest win in the post-Luka era.
19: Combined first-quarter scoring from PJ Washington and Kyrie Irving
If this depleted version of the Mavericks was going to get a win against a bigger team trying to play bully ball in the frontcourt, they would have to rely heavily on Irving and Washington for scoring. The duo answered the bell and fueled the Mavs’ fast start. Washington and Irving scored the team’s first eight points, each nailing their first 3-point attempt of the contest. Dallas hit four of its first six field goal attempts and started the game 5-of-8 from 3-point range. The Mavericks cooled off a bit from deep as the quarter wore on and hit 6-of-12 in the opening frame, but they still outscored New Orleans by 12 points from beyond the arc in the first.
Irving and Washington combined to score 19 points as the Mavericks took a 32-22 lead after one. Irving picked up his second foul with about four minutes left in the first, forcing him to the bench for the rest of the quarter.
Washington turned in another impressive second-quarter performance to pile up 20 points before halftime.
14-1: Pelicans’ second-quarter run to take the lead
Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images
Dallas went 0-for-6 from distance, while Jose Alvarado wrought havoc during the non-Zion minutes early in the second quarter. Alvarado took three steals in his first 10 minutes of play on Friday, and the Mavericks offense went cold in the first six minutes of the second quarter.
It all led to a 14-1 run that saw New Orleans take the lead back, 38-37, on Alvarado’s long 3-ball from the right wing with just under seven minutes to play in the half. If this version of the Mavericks isn’t hitting their outside shots, they can find themselves on the wrong end of runs like that one in a hurry.
Dallas leaned on Irving and Washington, once again, to right the ship. Irving blocked a driving attempt by Bruce Brown with four minutes left in the first half, and it led to a corner 3-pointer in secondary transition on the other end. Dallas led 46-42 before Williamson returned and immediately hit his next shot on his first possession off the bench.
Late 3-pointers from Irving and Cormac Karl “Max” Christie put Dallas back in front, 56-53, at the break.
5-for-5: Max Christie first-half shooting
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Christie is making a strong case for a spot in the starting five just seven games into his tenure with the Mavericks and just 11 days into his 22nd trip around the sun. He’s such a smart playmaker. He takes the right shots at the right time and consistently makes the right read when a high-percentage shot isn’t available. He can stay in front of the opposing team’s best guard or small forward on defense. As the Mavs wear the tread off Irving’s tires down the stretch this season, Christie has become the team’s best option for taking some of the burden off Irving.
Christie’s second 3-pointer of the game on Friday came with seven seconds left in the first half, in the right corner on a nice find from Spencer Dinwiddie. He made all five of his first-half field goal attempts, including that one, which put Dallas back in front, 56-53, at the half. It was max efficiency for Max Christie, whose 12 first-half points came in just 13 minutes of play.
Christie finished with 16 points and four rebounds in the win over New Orleans, his seventh straight game of 15 or more points to start his stay with the Mavs. Only Irving (34) and Monta Ellis (15) have started their Mavericks tenure with more games of 15 or more points.
25: Zion Williamson scoring in his first 18 minutes on the floor
The smaller Mavericks had no answer on Friday for the heft and bulk of Zion Williamson, who scored 29 points in the previous matchup between these two teams, a 137-136 win for the Mavs in New Orleans on Jan. 29. Williamson bullied the Mavs for 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting in his first 18 minutes on the floor — through the first four minutes of the third quarter.
Williamson got to the line at will and steamrolled over every defender the Mavs sent his way. Although he hasn’t been all that available this year, he has torched the Mavs in two of his 19 games played.
Dallas sent double teams earlier from that point on, and Williamson scored just four more points the rest of the way. He led the Pels with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and two steals in the loss.
19: Combined third-quarter scoring from Irving and Naji Marshall
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Irving wasn’t particularly effective from the perimeter against New Orleans on Friday, but you can’t deny that he was the straw that stirred the Mavericks’ drink all night long. He poured in 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting in the third quarter.
Naji Marshall was effective early on in the third as well, using that patented little spin move in the lane to gain an advantage over his defender for the off-balance leaner that has become his go-to move this year. After Alvarado made a 3-pointer with Marshall’s hand in his face earlier in the game, Marshall returned the favor midway through the third, scoring over his friend and former teammate in the lane before giving Alvarado the “too small” treatment as Marshall ran back down the floor on defense.
Dinwiddie found Irving for a nice running finish in the lane late in the third to push the Mavericks in front 84-77, and Dallas took an 86-82 lead into the fourth quarter. The Irving and Marshall Express combined for 14 more in the fourth as the Mavs inched away from the Pelicans late for the win. Marshall scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half and pulled down 10 boards in the win.
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