The Doncic-Irving partnership stumbles on the first stone

The great expectation of the night was in Sacramento, where Luka Doncic returned after two games without playing and was going to meet on the track for the first time with Kyrie Irving, star signing of the Dallas Mavericks in this market closing. The experiment, if we isolate it from the final result, was not bad. At first Kyrie gave ground to his partner, respecting the roles, knowing that the boss here is Doncic. In the end he took the reins, pulling the team in hot moments, one of his specialties. It can be said that they complemented each other well for how little they have been together and how much they both need the ball. “It has been natural, nothing forced. It’s going to make us much better,” said Jason Kidd. But of course, in professional sports nothing can be isolated at the end of the result. And the result was not good.

The Dallas Mavericks, who 24 hours earlier had won on the same track with a display of collective play and had placed themselves one game behind the Kings, third in the West, lost the opportunity to catch up with them, falling in overtime. Due to Doncic’s offensive blackout, who had 25 points at the beginning of the last quarter and finished with 27. Due to the difficulties defending on the outside, something logical in a team with the Slovenian and Irving. And because these difficulties ended up leaving the way free for the late but decisive explosion of the rival point guard. a D’Aaron Fox who was the real star of the crash. As if to celebrate his late inclusion in the All Star, which he arrives as one of the three substitutes for the injured, Fox uncorked starting in the last quarter scoring 26 of the 36 points he finished with, 14 of them in the extra time. Including 6 free throws without a miss at the end of extra time that, just because they didn’t miss them, left their rival without opportunities.

Irving was the one who almost ruined all of this. He scored 7 of Dallas’ 9 points from 2:52 to 24 seconds left in overtime. The latter with a triple that left his team 1 down (127-126). That’s where Fox’s free throw carousel began with the first two. On the next play, Doncic, who had been missing from the basket for a long time, missed a three-pointer to tie and things would go to the Kings. At the locals, Domantas Sabonis also stood out with his 44th double-double (22+14), first in the league in this section, and Terence Davis from the bench with 22 points and 6 assists. In the visitors, the young Josh Green continues to respond to the demands of his new role after the departure of Finney-Smith and went to 23 points with 66.7% shooting from the field and 5/8 in triples.