Poof, poof, I didn't expect to be upset by the grizzly bear. Irving had 33 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, and finished with 31 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals on 9-of-21 shooting.
Morant has been reimbursed for the season, and Jalen Jr. is also out, but in this case, the Grizzlies have blown up the Mavericks. With more than 4 minutes left in the second quarter, the Grizzlies led the Mavericks by as many as 22 points on the road.
Irving turned on heads-up mode and continued to make difficult layups, but at halftime, the Mavericks still trailed the Grizzlies 53-68. Throughout the first half, Doncic was 4-of-11 with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, while Irving was 5-of-12 with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
Doncic and Irving's offensive talent is undeniable, with Doncic averaging 33.7 points per game and Irving averaging 23.5 points per game this season. However, the two don't have a lot of connections on the court, and interestingly, both are very fond of heads-up. This season, Doncic averaged 8.1 points per game, ranking first in the league, and Irving averaged 3.4 points per game, ranking 13th in the league. When one of them turns on heads-up mode, the others can only watch the play.
But basketball is a team sport after all, and this remnant Grizzlies gave Eastern Europe a lesson in team basketball. With 4 minutes and 34 seconds left in the third quarter, the camera showed Doncic on the sidelines, only to see him buried his head deeply, and it seemed that he was in a bad mood. In the previous game, he went to the ground for a layup and was pressed to the leg by Biyombo, apparently injured.
Irving led the team to support it, and at the end of the third quarter, he had 31 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and Doncic had 21 points and 6 assists, but the Mavericks were 83-103, trailing by as many as 20 points. Although Doncic's form recovered in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies still maintained a double-digit point difference, and after that, the game also entered garbage time, with Irving and Doncic both clocking in and conceding early.