Dallas Mavericks have lost four of their last five games with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving
The troubles continue for the Dallas Mavericks who lost their second straight game on Tuesday when they lost 124-122 to the Indiana Pacers.
This followed a loss to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the worst Mavs loss of the season when they fell 111-108 on Sunday.
The Mavs loss to the Lakers was the first this season when an NBA team had led by 27 or more points. Previously NBA teams were 138-0 when ahead by that much of margin.
The Mavs have lost four out of the first five games Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving have played together. Their lone win was over the lowly San Antonio Spurs.
The Mavs have been competitive in all four of their losses with several coming by one basket and their largest margin of defeat being a five-point loss in overtime against the Sacramento Kings.
Dončić and Kyrie Irving have put up great numbers since becoming teammates.
In Ivring’s first seven games with Dallas, he’s averaged 24.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists on 49% shooting from the field and 37.7% from three.
Dončić’s averaging 31.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists on 52% shooting from the field and 31.9% from three since Irving joined the team.
Yet, the team has struggled with late-game execution evident in their loss against Minnesota.
The struggles continued against the Pacers where they lost when Irving missed a last-second three-point attempt.
Dallas struggles have mainly come on the defensive side of the ball since Irving and Dončić have played together. The Mavs have ranked 26th in defensive rating in the NBA, 29th in points allowed in the paint and 28th in opponents’ fast-break points.
Part of their struggles might be linked to losing Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie in the trade for Irving who has never been known for his defense.
It’s difficult to win in the NBA with such a porous defense and the Mavs will have to improve on that side of the court if they want to reach their full potential.
The Mavs play the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday at American Airlines Center at 6:30 p.m. CT on TNT.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 12:53 PM.
