Sunday’s slate of games began with a truly epic showdown between Kevin Durant and his former teammate, Kyrie Irving, who both requested a trade from the Nets this summer after years of chaos and dysfunction.
Today was the first time KD and Irving faced off since the big breakup, and it’s no surprise that the red-hot Suns pulled out with a 130-126 win.
KD with the go-ahead bucket ‼️ https://t.co/3DowkCjTFP
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 5, 2023
KD was the hero of the night with 37 points and some key buckets down the stretch, but Devin Booker also showed up to play with 36 points and 10 assists on the night.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks continue to experience throwing pains under their new regime. Despite a combined 64-point effort from Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, there was nothing they could do defensively to slow down Phoenix’s ridiculous firepower.
Naturally, the buzz continued well after the final second as fans from all over social media poured in with their thoughts on the game.
“Best duo in the league!” said one excited fan.
https://twitter.com/CookedByBook/status/1632482179493003267
“Luka and kyrie will own the suns in the playoffs book mark this!”
https://twitter.com/feelLikewesus/status/1632482617227460608
“Mavs 2-5 with Luka and Kyrie”
https://twitter.com/nosnebthoughts/status/1632482567709679616
“Suns fans watching Kevin Durant drill jumpers in crunch time…”
Suns fans watching Kevin Durant drill jumpers in crunch time https://t.co/ZR89n9T1uh
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 5, 2023
At one point in the game, things got pretty heated between Luka Doncic and Devin Booker, who went face-to-face in a viral moment.
“Suns vs Mavs just OFFICIALLY became a rivalry.”
Suns vs Mavs just OFFICIALLY became a rivalry.
pic.twitter.com/eT11uR8kbB
— Guru (@DrGuru_) March 5, 2023
The Suns look about as good as everyone expected. Durant and Booker have instant chemistry, Chris Paul is the perfect glue guy, and Deandre Ayton is finding ways to be effective without having to drop 25 points.
There are still big concerns about the supporting cast around those guys (especially off the bench), but the Suns are 3-0 since adding Durant and they look on track to make a lot of noise in the upcoming postseason.
The Mavericks, however, could be in serious trouble.
Is It Time To Panic For The Dallas Mavericks?
The Mavs are now 2-5 with Luka and Kyrie together, and those are obviously not the results they were hoping for. Offensively, the duo is borderline unstoppable and both can give you 30+ every single night.
On defense, however, the team cannot stop anybody and they are really feeling the consequences of losing their best defensive players.
It’s still too early to call the new-look Mavericks a failure, but they could be in serious trouble if they don’t improve this season. With Kyrie Irving set to hit unrestricted free agency, Dallas has to convince him to stick around long-term if they want to keep their position as a Western Conference contender.
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