The Mavericks sit in ninth place in the West heading into Wednesday’s series of games, having won three in a row to improve their record to 7-4.
A big part of their recent success has been the play of their star point guard Kyrie Irving. After scoring 20 or more points once in the first four games, he’s averaging 26.8 points and 4.8 assists on .485/.442/.864 shooting over the last five contests.
The veteran guard knows he’s likely to be one of them most popular names on the trade market this season, but he recently spoke with the team about the topic and urged the players not to let outside noise distract them from their shared goals. Grant Offset writes for the Dallas Sports Journal.
“I told the team from my mouth that these trade rumors, everything that’s going on with me, don’t let it enter our locker room” said Irving.Don’t let it get in the way of what we’re building here. We have a lot of depth. We have a lot of youth, and we need to use it to our advantage. But we must not allow any external distractions or any external voices that do not unconditionally support us or want to see us do well to enter our locker room.”
Irving also praised the work of the first-year head coach Dusty May did to create a team identity and hold them accountable when they fall short of the standards they set.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Another reason Mavericks the winning streak comes from 19-year-old star wing Cooper Glagg, who had 43 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals against the Pacers on Monday. At the same time, he became the first teenager since then Kevin Durant have at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in a game, Tim McMahon writes for ESPN. “We keep calling him a teenager, but he plays far beyond his years” said Irving.… The way he’s always in attack mode, the way he sees the game and gets others involved is very unselfish. It helps our team a lot, including me. Just seeing how he’s able to play for others, but also when he calls his number, he fits into that paint and tries to make the most efficient shot possible.” Flagg also made headlines when he was seen eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the sidelines during several games, which the young star attributes to his efforts to gain weight and muscle, writing ESPN’s Anthony Gharib. “Just trying to get my calories in, get ahead of them and be ready for next (Monday)Flagg said.
- There have only been 10 games in NBA history in which a player had at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocks, according to the NBA’s communications team (Link to Twitter). Victor Wembanyama recorded two of those 10 games in four games. At the same time, Spurs the superstar became only the second player to reach those numbers twice in a single season Wilt Chamberlain. Part of his success was in his decision-making when it came to choosing where to attack, he told Jared Weiss of The Athletic (subscriber link). “I got a chance that my opponents can’t put me in a situation where I can’t answer” said Vembanyama. “So now all I have to do is not beat myself up.”
- The Pelicans suffered their worst loss in franchise history on Monday, losing to the Warriors by 51 points. It was just such a non-competitive night from that head coach Jamal Mosley was brought to avoid Rod Walker writes for NOLA.com. From the second half of the previous game against the Clippers to the end of the Warriors game, the Pelicans gave up at least 35 points in six straight quarters. “Two nights in a row we let our offense dictate our defenseMosley said.139 (points Sunday) evening, 138 tonight. And to understand how we want to play, sometimes you need to get punched in the mouth. And they got it in their mouths twice. How we respond will say a lot about us, and that’s about all of us.”
