DALLAS– Kyrie Irving wowed the crowd with a crossover move that helped create enough space for him to shoot a slant 3-pointer.
Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks co-star was hit and fell by the shot in the air, and his teammates were there to attack him when the shot was fired at the whistle.
The four-point play was a signature moment in Friday night’s 114-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, which sent the Mavericks into the second round of the playoffs with a 4-2 series victory.
Dallas beat LA for the first time in three first-round attempts over the past five seasons — and Irving improved to 13-0 in final games in his career.
“When I think about 13-0 in late games in general, I know you just have to get to that point to be ready for the other team to shoot,” said Irving, who scored 28 of his 30 points in the second half. “One of the hardest things to do as a competitor is to get your opponent to concede or submit.”
The fifth-seeded Mavericks open the Western Conference semifinals at first-place Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.
“Never doubt with Kai,” Doncic said. “It’s amazing to see the type of plays he makes.”
The Mavs added Irving at the trade deadline last year, hoping to create an All-Star duo that would at least match the run to the West Finals in 2022.
Instead, injuries and inconsistencies prevented chemistry from developing, and Dallas missed the playoffs, unceremoniously sinking at the end of the regular season to try to preserve a draft pick.
Irving’s health was a big part of his rise to the West’s top six over the last two months of this season, when it looked like the play-in tournament might be the way to go.
Now the Mavs have a series victory in the first postseason combined for two players with a combined 13 All-Star appearances.
“I’m in awe every night,” said PJ Washington, a trade deadline addition this year and a key purveyor of 3-point shooting and defense. “They are special players and they make special plays every night.”
Irving made 10 of 13 shots from the field in the second half, starting with a layup that broke a 52-52 tie at halftime. After a 3-pointer from Doncic, Irving made a 3 for an 8-0 run. Dallas did not follow again.
Doncic is dealing with knee pain that is affecting his shot — the NBA scoring champion shot 24% from 3-point range in the series against the Clippers.
Irving didn’t score early — just 10 points combined in the first quarters of the six games against LA. But he’s scoring late.
The 28 points in the second half of the decisive game tied Irving’s half-time playoff career high. And in a Game 4 loss, Irving scored all 40 points after the Clippers took a 31-point lead as Dallas rallied to take the lead before trailing by five.
“Just his calmness, his energy was always positive in the locker room,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “And that’s just the leadership and the trust the guys have with him.”
Doncic finally beat the Clippers after losing each of the first two playoff series of his career to Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and company in 2020 and 2021.
Now the Slovenian superstar is aiming for a postseason run that at least matches 2022, when Dallas stunned Phoenix in Game 7 on the road in the West semifinals before losing to eventual champion Golden State in five games in the West finals .
After winning the franchise’s only championship in 2011, Dallas didn’t have another playoff victory until defeating Utah in the first round two years ago. Now, the Mavs have won three of the last four series.
Doncic will take the three days off that Dallas will have to close out the series against the Clippers. He just doesn’t expect the rest to make a big difference in his knee.
“I don’t think it’s going to get better until I get some rest,” Doncic said. “That’s a lot of minutes.”
The Mavs are hoping for a lot more minutes.
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