Irving scored 24 goals in his Dallas debut ahead of the Mavs over the Clippers

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – Kyrie Irving took the lead in his Dallas debut with a big run to open the game and ignited his new teammates in front of a jubilant Luka Doncic on the bench.

Irving scored 24 points and the Mavericks were never behind in a 110-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

“It was nice to pass on that debut,” Irving said. “It was a long 96 hours, sometimes hardly slept. This is the first time I’ve been traded in the middle of the season, so it was new for me, but I’m glad I’m here.”

With Doncic still sidelined by injury, Irving worked well with his young teammates just three days after the eight-time All-Star was traded from the Brooklyn Nets. He participated in a 13–0 rush early in the game, scoring eight points on the rush and straight 3-pointers.

“The most important thing we stressed as a team is just not to push the ball on me. We just want to play natural basketball,” Irving said. “You don’t always have to come to me. You can play me, I can play the ball, I can cut.”

Irving had four rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes, which felt like a dress rehearsal before Doncic returned to give the Mavs a powerful backcourt. Irving was greeted with applause and a boy with a sign welcomed him to the team when he was introduced to the starting lineup.

“I’m sure it will be even more fun to see and play there when #77 comes back,” Irving said.

Early in the fourth, Irving fouled Paul George. A Clippers fan yelled at him, “I love you, but that was outrageous.” Irving laughed and shook his head.

Former Clipper Reggie Bullock scored 15 of his 18 points in the first quarter against his old team. All five Dallas starters reached double figures.

Norman Powell scored 24 points and Terence Mann added 21 points for the Clippers, whose two-game winning streak was snapped. George added 20 points. Kawhi Leonard, who scored two points in the first half, finished 18th.

After going 4-2 away, the Clippers were 19 behind in the first quarter.

“Kai just had this rebound and this mentality that I’m going to show what I’m capable of and make a name for myself right away,” said George. “You felt it as soon as they got their first possession, just his motor.”

The Mavs scored 41 points in the first quarter while shooting 60% from the floor. They beat the Clippers 21–9 to start the game, thanks to Irving’s offense.

“He makes everything look easy,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd. “The level of comfort he feels with us you could see in the game. He calmly plays basketball.”

In the third, the Clippers took the lead. Leonard started the run 20-10, scoring 11 goals in a row to take them to 79-78. Josh Green’s basket gave the Mavs an 81–78 lead before fourth.

The Mavs quickly extended their lead to 10 points in the fourth round. The Clippers hit the top five four times, but the Mavs held them back.

The Clippers cut their deficit to 60-52 at halftime after beating Dallas 27-19 in the second period.

Leonard had two points and George had 10 in the first half when they scored 5 of 14 together.

The Mavs will play the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 9:00 p.m.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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