Luka Doncic is tired of his teammate Kyrie Irving’s lies and did not hesitate to let him know during an interview with local media after his Dallas Mavericks’136-124 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
“He said he was tired before the game. So that was, how do you say that BS? So I don’t get fined,” the Slovenian joked in the post-game press conference after the forceful performance of his teammate against the Pelicans.
During the game played at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, Irving contributed 35 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, exceeding his averages for the 2023-2024 NBA season. In 10 games, Irving averages 23 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists.
Doncic is not far behind his teammate, and against the Pelicans, he contributed 30 points, four rebounds, and nine assists. For the season, the European averages 27.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and eight assists.
Thanks to both, analysts consider Dallas as one of the favorites to reach the championship series or, at least, be one of the contenders during the Western Conference postseason.
Irving and teamwork
Despite his solid performances Kyrie Irving has offered this season, he assured a few days ago that the credit belongs to the team. “We have a special group; I can trust them, and I don’t need to be Superman. I don’t have to put everything on my shoulders,” he said.
He thanked his teammates for making his job on the court so easy: “I just have to put the ball in the right place at the right time and trust my teammates to make their shots.”
However, he also said he was honored to be the person they look for when things get difficult: “I think that at this stage of my career, it is good to have the ball in my hands at the end of the game or in tense situations or certain circumstances of the game and have the trust of my teammates to bring us back to the game.”
Doncic praises his teammates
The Slovenian agrees with his partner. “I think we’re playing unselfish basketball. We’re just sharing the ball,” he declared after the game against New Orleans.
Luka Doncic explained that they knew that the Pelicans’ style of play would allow them to exploit long-distance shots. “We got them up, 53 [3-point attempts]. Not all of them, but most of them were really good shots. That’s what we have to do [going forward].”
Irving and Doncic will have more opportunities to continue testing their team play this week with games against the Pelicans, Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, and Sacramento Kings, in that order.
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