ESPN reacts to Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic lead Dallas Mavericks to 109-95 win over Atlanta Hawks

ESPN reacts to Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic lead Dallas Mavericks to 109-95 win over Atlanta Hawks

Houston’s taken a significant step forward this year I don’t think there’s any arguing with that Golden State meanwhile pulling away for that final playin spot now four clear of Houston six games remaining on the schedule dov’s also just a game and a half behind at Los Angeles for homecourt Advantage

In that nine 10 game with a win the Dallas Mavericks clinch a playing spot they host Atlanta who have already clinched a playing spot Luca playing his 67th game this year most since his rookie campaign and he has been just spectacular throughout here little ball fake finds Tim Hardaway Jr Juni there

Has to extend and then on Friday love man that fourth quarter was a defensive slug Fest tell me what was going on out there uh we just tried to get a a home win um obviously coming off a ro loss we needed this one so I feel like everybody

Bought in especially in the four so we can close this one out uh you’ve been playing great defense and rebounding since you you gotten here but now the shooting’s really coming around five from eight from three to n it looks like you’re shooting the ball with a lot of

Confidence yeah I mean I’ve been putting a lot of work in so for me uh it was just about my footwork and obviously they’re starting to fall now so just’re shooting them with confidence and taking open ones all right what is the goal here six games left you guys are right

There in that Five Spot what is is the goal for the remainder of the Season uh take every game one at a time and obviously we want to win each and every night so for us obviously just take it at a at one game at a time and just go

Out with the same mentality of going out and win before the game I saw you walk with your father it’s got to be pretty good to be playing here at home with these Dallas Mavericks yeah I mean it’s a true uh dream come true for me I’m

Just super excited to be here and I love it and I’m happy to be in this jersey and I’m happy to get wins as well we’re happy to watch you in that Jersey man keep it moving thanks a lot yes sir thank you all right back to you guys all

Right thanks again it was a very nice game by PJ Washington Jr tonight 19 points and eight rebounds Kyrie 26 Luca 25 and most work we send it right now to Dana Larson and Brian for some brief postgame comments thank you Mark thank you very much and the beat goes on Brian

Deeris it’s often a little bumpy that first game at home after a long road trip the Mavericks smoothed things out though and took care of business here this was a grinded out game Devon talked about it right there at the end you have to win these kinds of games in the

Playoffs when you don’t have your legs you came off an 11-day trip first game back after coming off that long trip where you saw Luca didn’t score in the first quarter he scored 18 the first time he played these Hawks when he scored 73 but that mvp level that he is

Playing at that you’re starting to see the national narrative now shift in his Direction 25 points 12 rebounds eight assists he goes six of 15 from three this is the kind of Superstar leadership where he says you know what I’m going to put the team on my back and we’re going

To go get that W and you can see he does it in so many different ways he can sit there and find that vertical game with Daniel Gaff one of the new acquisitions that opens up everything on the offense and then he just puts defenders in a

Bind look I can do a one off the bank one arm three-pointer if I need to at the end of the half I’ll do a step back when you think I’m going to the paint I can shoot over bogdanovich here and then on the defensive end he’s the top 10 in

Steals he makes it difficult gets that steel there one of his top things top 15 in rebounds Point assists and steals in the NBA only one person who’s only three people have ever done that five times MVPs have been won cuz bird and and Westbrook did it multiple times only one

Person that’s done that Westbrook the second time he did it didn’t win an MVP he’s got to start getting those National flowers these are the kind of games that championship teams are made of yeah I love this game for him because when watching him have that scoreless first

Quarter all I could think of was look out Atlanta Hawks he was going to come after them and be ready to go and he did uh actually go 25 points in the final three quarters you know what else jumped off the page and off the court in this

Game was the Mavericks defense you saw uh maxi CBA early on in this game Dwight Powell with a couple of uh first half minutes that really really set the tone event since the trade deadline this team is seventh in defense since the 11 of 13 now 12 of 14 win streak after that

Indiana team meeting after the game third in defense that’s a recipe when you combine it with what this team can do offensively they hold the Hawks in 95 Murray’s held to 16 he’s been going off recently since Mur since Trey Young’s been out they only give up 32 points in

A paint they’ve been Walling that off they did that so well against Sacramento last week and forced 21 turnovers different ways to win they can win when the three ball goes down they can win with the two-pointer and now they can win with defense you combine that kind of Defense with a supercharged

Offense which is all by the way top five in the NBA since the trade that’s why this team has won 12 of the last 14 oh by the way one of those losses was without Luca speaking of Threes the Mavericks drained 18 of them in this

Game four of their five starters were in double figures and that included PJ Washington Jr who we just heard from with skin on the court you saw how big his smile was uh this is a dream come true for him and a game like this is a

Dream for the Mavericks from him this is what smart front officers do they find a talented player who’s in a situation where they think he can be more effective in their system defensively he’s one of the best on ball Defenders we have on this team that is underrated

What he is bringing into defensively he can guard one through five and offensively that three balls Fallen like that and he was five of eight today then he is going to be your reliable third score and you can just add what the center position gives you as gravy on

Top of that and oh by the way he had eight rebounds to go with it B on both ends both key Acquisitions since the trade deadline keep talking about the stats since there because it’s a totally different team it’s more athletic it’s taller it’s bigger it’s more versatile

And what he can bring on both ends of the floor and what Daniel gaffer can bring for that vertical game especially with Lively out huge huge pieces that’s a big part of this run Mavs have now won 12 of their their last 14 games and they have just methodically worked their way

Up the Western Conference standings sitting currently in fifth now and they still have their sights on the Clippers in fourth that would be homecourt advantage in the playoffs by the way the magic number now is five if the Kings lose in this game to the Knicks tonight

To secure top six which really would uh be very good to go home and wake up in the morning with tomorrow yeah so you you want to stay at that six level you’ve got the tiebreaker over the uh the Suns at right there right below you you still fighting with the Pelicans

That’s tied you’re going to look at division record you’re still trying to climb up to Fourth cuz you want home court in a potential four five matchup they need to go four- two down the stretch to get to 50 wins if they get that four seed it’s going to be hard to

Not give Luca his Hardware at the end of the year 50 wins they’ve clinched at least play in at 10 this is a team that had 3 four wins last year great night Here for spee speech speech speech foree speee Fore spee speech [Applause] spee spech fore spe for Foree spe for fore

ESPN reacts to Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic lead Dallas Mavericks to 109-95 win over Atlanta Hawks