Kyrie Irving leads Mavericks to win vs. Clippers in his Dallas debut
All-Star guard Kyrie Irving boosted the Mavericks to a 110-104 win over the LA Clippers on Wednesday in his first game since he was traded to Dallas this week. Here’s what you need to know:
Irving led the scoring for Dallas, which was without injured Luka Dončić for a third consecutive game, with 24 points, four rebounds and five assists. Norman Powell matched that scoring for the Clippers, with 24 points, seven rebounds and one assist. Paul George chipped in 20 and Kawhi Leonard 18. The Mavericks are 30-26 following Wednesday’s win. BackstoryOn Sunday, the Nets traded Irving to the Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two second-round picks in 2027 and 2029. As part of the deal, the Mavericks also agreed to send a 2029 unprotected first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick to the Nets, while Brooklyn agreed to send Markieff Morris to Dallas.
The move came three days after Irving requested a trade from the Nets. The Nets were informed that Irving preferred to leave Brooklyn ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline — or he would leave via free agency in July, The Athletic reported.
Required reading Kyrie Irving trade grades: Mavericks take big swing; Nets hope they’ve added enough Nets’ trade of Kyrie Irving to Mavs ends an era of unfulfilled expectations and controversy Inside the Kyrie Irving trade negotiations: Why the Mavericks beat out Lakers, Suns and other offers Vecenie: How will Kyrie Irving fit with Luka Dončić? What does Dallas need to do next?(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty)
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