Basketball: Doncic, Irving star as Mavs hold off 76ers in shoot-out

LOS ANGELES – Kyrie Irving arrived in Dallas via a trade with the Brooklyn Nets only in February, but he has quickly found chemistry with Mavericks star Luka Doncic.

On Thursday night, the duo scored a combined 82 points (Doncic 42, Irving 40) as the Mavs thwarted the Philadelphia 76ers’ late comeback bid in a wild 133-126 National Basketball Association home victory.

Offensive fireworks were expected in a game featuring the top two scorers in the league in Doncic and Sixers centre Joel Embiid.

But the seamless blend of Doncic and Irving has been a revelation. They became the first Dallas teammates to score at least 40 points in the same game, and also combined for 18 assists.

Doncic made 13 of his 22 attempts from the floor, draining seven of the Mavs’ 25 three-pointers. Irving made six of his eight three-pointers, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter after the Sixers cut a 25-point deficit to four with a 15-0 run to open the final period.

The Mavs had seized control with an explosive third quarter in which they opened on a 20-4 streak and outscored Philadelphia 39-24.

The Sixers’ late push, however, was reminiscent of Dallas’ collapse from a 27-point lead in a 111-108 loss to the Lakers last Sunday.

“We’ve got to keep the pace,” Irving said of the Mavs’ late lapses. “We’ve had a few tough games – by three points, two points – and we’ve just got to finish stronger.

“It’s a learning lesson going along, but I’m glad we could come out with this win tonight.”

Embiid scored 35 points on his return after sitting out Philadelphia’s victory on Wednesday in Miami.

He and three-time scoring champion James Harden were on the bench as the Sixers stormed back early in the fourth, when Tyrese Maxey’s basket pulled Philadelphia within 110-106 with 9min 22sec to play.

Irving’s basket, off a feed from Doncic, then gave Dallas their first points of the period.

He was fouled and converted the free throw, then he and Doncic hit back-to-back three-pointers to push the lead back to double digits.

Harden, who had 19 points and 10 assists in the first half, was limited to eight points after the interval and gave up three turnovers in the fourth.

The Sixers dropped to 40-22 after the loss but are still in third place in the Eastern Conference. The Mavs (33-31) are sixth in the West.

Elsewhere, Jordan Poole erupted for 22 of his game-high 34 points in the third quarter as the Golden State Warriors rallied for a 115-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in San Francisco.

He led a 42-point offensive explosion in the period by sinking four three-pointers, one two-pointer and eight free throws, single-handedly changing the team’s fortunes after they shot three of 23 from three-point range in the first half. AFP, REUTERS