Since Kyrie Irving’s arrival, things have changed for both Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. It might be slightly different from the expectations for some, but others had the belief that both ball-dominant players would find it tough to work together.
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However, nobody would have thought that they would be 2-5 to start their journey so close to the post-season. Given the form both were in before Irving’s transfer request if they were 7-0 now, it would have been less surprising.
Their latest 133-126 win against the contenders from the East, the Philadelphia 76ers, was a sigh of relief for the Dallas fans and Mavericks management. But Skip Bayless found something after it which might actually be worrisome.
Skip Bayless suggests Luka Doncic is upset with Kyrie Irving’s arrival
Through a recent Tweet, veteran Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless brought forward how Irving is attempting almost 4-times the shots Doncic is attempting in the fourth quarter and over time.
Since joining Luka, Kyrie has attempted 49 4th quarter/OT shots to Luka’s 13. Luka leads the NBA in scoring. Is he happily deferring to the Mavs’ new clutch closer? Or pouting?
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 4, 2023
Is there something going on behind the closed doors in Dallas that is making the top-scorer of the league just under 3-shots a game in the final quarter of the game? Let’s fact-check.
Luka Doncic’s 4th quarter numbers before and since Kyrie Irving’s arrival
As surprising as it might be, Doncic averages 5.2 points per game on just 3.7 attempts in the final quarter of the game. In Mavs’ last 5 games, that has gone down to 2.6 which is not as much given the fact that they have got themselves this season’s King of 4th quarter.
With 9.6 points on 6.7 attempts per game, and 443 points in 46 games played, Irving is the league’s top scorer in the fourth quarter. To put it all more into perspective, Doncic isn’t even in the top-25.
So, Skip’s analysis is half-baked and Luka isn’t pouting. The man might be following in the footsteps of his childhood idol, LeBron James, in making plays to win the game in the final minutes rather than being a one-man show. He prefers doing that in the first three quarters.