Kyrie Irving, former Duke basketball one-and-done, lit up the scoreboard for the Mavericks, even though the team fell short.
In this story: Dallas Mavericks star and former 2010-11 Duke guard Kyrie Irving hit a season high, scoring 43 points in a 122-120 road loss to the Denver Nuggets (7-3) on Sunday night. Irving’s performance was notably efficient, as he shot 17-for-22 from the field, went 6-for-8 from beyond the arc, and was perfect at the free-throw line, hitting 3-for-3 while committing just one turnover and one foul.
This loss, however, marks Dallas’ third in its last four games, a stretch during which they have been without their other Duke one-and-done player, second-year center and former No. 12 overall pick Dereck Lively II. The 20-year-old 7-footer is recovering from a right shoulder sprain.
Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Irving—an eight-time All-Star, 2016 NBA champion, now in his third year with the Mavericks (5-5) and 14th professional season since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2011—also tallied five rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block against the Nuggets.
These stats make for Irving’s most substantial box score of the season, despite the defeat.
So far in his 10 games for the 2024-25 Mavericks, who aim to build on last season’s NBA Finals appearance, Kyrie Irving is averaging 25.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and only 1.6 turnovers per game. Notably, he is currently posting a career-high 53.9 percent field goal percentage, including 55.2 percent from three-point range on 5.8 attempts per game.
