With Kyrie Irving back, the Mavericks are scraping for a tough win against the Thunder

On January 18, 2025By Littum

Inconsistency is about the only consistent theme in the Dallas Mavericks’ injury-riddled season.

The Mavericks began most of the new year with the task of playing without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They briefly adjusted to life without their two superstars, but they will face a new challenge going forward with Irving’s return to the lineup.

Irving split the team’s back-to-back series against the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans to deal with the bulging disc in his back. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said the Mavericks’ role players relied solely on Irving’s offensive skills in his last appearance. With Irving back from a game of rest, Kidd was hoping for a different result this time.

“Hopefully better rhythm and flow,” Kidd said. “That’s something we just didn’t have last time against Denver with Kai. Hopefully we can get it early.”

That mistake was not duplicated in Friday’s 106-98 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, who played for the first time this season without MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Irving was the leading scorer in the latest win that snapped a four-game losing streak, but he wasn’t the primary source of offense for the Mavericks. PJ Washington served as Irving’s teammate with 16 points. Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in another 16. Naji Marshall added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Irving’s gravity was evident on the Mavericks’ first play of the game. He made an aggressive drive to the basket and drew two Thunder defenders. The veteran guard quickly recognized the numbers advantage and threw the ball out to Dinwiddie, who found Washington in the corner for a 3-pointer and the game’s opening points.

That decision forced the Thunder to stick close to the Mavericks’ role players throughout the first quarter. After Washington scored the first five points, Irving asserted himself and drained a 3-pointer before finishing at the basket with a fingertip to give the Mavericks an early 10-0 lead.

Irving scored a game-high 25 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.

The trickle-down effect of Irving’s return changes the dynamics of Dallas’ backcourt game. Dinwiddie joined Irving in the backcourt and Marshall returned to the bench. Jaden Hardy, in the midst of an offensive surge, was the first guard off the bench in Irving’s absence.

Hardy didn’t appear in Friday’s game until the second quarter, but his time on the floor was short-lived. Not for lack of minutes, but because he suffered a sprained right ankle 90 seconds into the second quarter. The Mavericks’ latest injury forced Irving to play more than the 30-33 minutes Kidd expected. Dwight Powell also left Friday’s game with a right hip injury, adding to the list of bodies on the Mavericks’ injury report.

Irving finished with a 9-of-19 shooting night, and his confidence caused Oklahoma City’s top-rated defense to trap him all night.

“He was amazing,” Marshall said. “Just Kai being Kai.”

A night after Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a lopsided victory over Cleveland by scoring 40 points through three quarters, Irving showed why the Mavericks have a chance to win when he’s on the floor.

The Mavericks are victorious for the second time in three games against Oklahoma City. They finish the season series against the top-seeded Thunder on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.