The finest individual players will always have a positive impact. It’s rarely the case that when two figures of similar caliber come together, the feelings aren’t positive. After all, good guys have to play with good guys. And that’s the same reading that could be made of the first game they played together Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas Mavericks. The beginning of this star pairing cannot be summed up simply by looking at the result, 133-128 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kingsbecause it would be unfair to dwell on the surface of what is said to be the start of a new era for the Mavs.
This duo’s debut more than lived up to their expectations. And, somehow, they both moved on the field as expected. Luka Doncic took on a bigger load in decision-making during the first part of the match, while Kyrie Irving has been waiting for his moment to decide one against one.
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It wasn’t until the close that the true potential and match of these two became apparent. The stars were repeatedly combined to make it easier to choose between them. Through mutual blocks and moves without the ball, both of which provided opportunities to score with more or less success. It’s just his performance at clutch which should give Mavs fans the most hope after showing that they have tremendous potential to punish their opponents when the game is close. Foot speed and ability to move without the ball Kyrie fits the bill with Luca’s game vision and post dominance.
However, while this way of finding his shots or facilitating passing lanes for Irving comes naturally to others, It is Doncic who is most likely to struggle to adjust to his new partner. Evidence of this was two final serve actions in which both intervened. One ended with a forced shot by the Slovenian that didn’t go in. The second was supposed to be a 3-pointer by Kyrie, but it ended up on a basket in the crossbar by Luca.
In fact, at the end of the duel, the Slovenian acknowledged his part of the responsibility for the first choice. “I should have given it back to Kyrie”Luke said. “For me it’s a learning process. But I should have given him the ball back. He was great at the end of the game.”
The balance of the Mavs’ first experience with their new tandem inspires optimism. In the 29 minutes shared between the two, the Texans mustered one +/- positive 14 points with interesting launch rates, which arrive 54.7% from the field, 39.3% from threes and with 10 turnovers in 95 possessions. Thus, Doncic finished with 27 points (55%), 9 rebounds and 5 assists while Irving was the top scorer with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Without overreacting, what is expected in these first few weeks together will be a kind of offensive tourism with the two taking turns making decisions while the other thinks about the game. An example:
Something that is part of a natural process of acclimatization between the two and creating a favorable ecosystem to Doncic and Irving that Jason Kidd’s coaching staff needs to lead.
The possibilities of this couple are endless. The combination of both could make them the most defining offensive pairing in the NBA. In front 24 games to meet and build a system that takes advantage of the best of each.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
I am a sports journalist who has been writing for a news website since 2015. My work primarily focuses on sports news, but I have also written about other topics such as technology and the arts. I have an extensive background in journalism, having worked as a reporter for a local newspaper before moving to a news website.
Denver Nuggets announced Nikola Jokic He will miss at least four weeks due to a left knee injury.
Star center was diagnosed with left knee hyperextension. At the same time, tests confirmed that the three-time NBA MVP’s knee ligaments remained intact.
Jokic was injured in the final seconds of the first half of the 123-147 loss to the Miami Heat and limped heavily on his way to the locker room. He did not return to the site after a long time.
Before his injury, Nikola managed to produce 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in just 19 minutes on the field.
Losing Jokic could be a big blow for Denver, as starters Christian Braun (ankle injury), Aaron Gordon (hip issue) and Cam Johnson (knee injury) remain sidelined.
Jokic averaged 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game this season.
Injury Update: Nikola Jokić suffered a Hyperextension injury in his Left Knee in last night’s match against Miami Heat. Nikola will be re-evaluated in four weeks. pic.twitter.com/NIDmlKAN81
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
11 games were played in the NBA regular season on the night of December 29-30.
Miami hosted Denver and earned a landslide victory.
The home team was ahead by 12 points with 41:29 to play in the first quarter, but the Nuggets were able to slowly win back in the second quarter. The teams entered a long break with the score tied at 63:63. The decisive factor in the match was the third quarter, when the Heat made an 11:0 move and led by 15 points at 84:69. After that the home team completely controlled the course of the game and only increased their advantage, achieving a crushing victory – 147:123.
The most productive player of the match was Powell, who brought 25 points to Miami, while Jaques (20 points + 11 assists) and Adebayo had double-doubles with 13 points + 10 rebounds.
San Antonio hosted Cleveland and suffered a sensational defeat.
Three-quarters of the meeting was fought evenly, with the teams responding to each other’s pushes with their own pushes and often staying within a shot or two of each other. That changed in the fourth quarter, as the Cavaliers went on a 15-2 run to take a 10-point lead, 94-84. They then maintained their advantage and won with a score of 113:101.
Cleveland’s main hero in this game was Allen, who had a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Garland can achieve the same success with 15 points and 11 assists.
Toronto beat Orlando at home.
Magic started the match better and made a 14:2 move at the start. Afterwards, they took control of the course of the game and increased the advantage completely to +21 – 51:30 in the second 12 minutes. After that, the home team slowly started to close the gap and entered the long break with a score of 11-11 at 54:65. The third quarter was tied, so Orlando still had a double-digit advantage ahead of the final: 94:84. At the beginning of the match the play followed the same scenario but in the middle Toronto made a move with 15:0 and not only won it back but also took the lead with 105:102. The fate of the game was decided by Barnes’ free throws, which set the score at 107:106 with 1 minute and 27 seconds left in the quarter.
Barnes could not make a triple-double this time, but he did a double-double and got 13 points and 11 rebounds, while the most productive name in the victory was Shead with 19 points.
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo He gave a harsh response to the question about a possible trade to another NBA club:
“I’m here. Don’t ask me that question. It’s disrespectful to me and my teammates. I wear this jersey every day.
To say I don’t want to be here is disrespectful to the organization, the coaching staff, myself and everyone who worked hard to get me on the field. Don’t ask me this question. I am her. I’m going out in this uniform. And as long as I’m here, I’ll give it my all until the last second of the match.”
On the night of December 27-28, Antetokounmpo returned to the field after his calf muscle injury and became the most productive player of the game with the Chicago Bulls – 112:103.
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
