Mavs-Clips Preview: Kairi Debuts Without Luka

LOS ANGELES – What a week it is in La La Land.

First the Grammys on Sunday. Then on Tuesday (or maybe Thursday), LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers will be the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

And while it’s not all that historical, it’s still an important moment in the sports world when Kyrie Irving makes his debut for the Mavericks on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Mavericks will look to keep the spirits up during their five-game journey, which began with a 124-111 win over Utah on Monday.

The Clippers will see one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They’ve won eight of their last 10, including four of six in a long drive that ended Monday in Brooklyn after an Irving trade sent him to Dallas.

Irving will be one of the Mavericks’ starting players. Luka Doncic will join the team but will not play as he recovers from a right heel injury.

This means that Irving will receive Luka’s treatment, most likely with frequent double commands. Trainer Jason Kidd prepared his new Guardsman on how to deal with such situations.

“We gave him a short list of offensive sets (and) defensive terminology,” Kidd said. “Brooklyn kind of puts on the same plays, just with different titles. He understands what we are trying to do.

“For us, understanding where his best parts are, and also if they do (double team) him, so that the guys understand where they need to be. I think it will be easy for him to translate that when he is put into two teams, he will know where these guys will be.”

It will also be another part of the educational process for young players like Josh Green and Jaden Hardy, Kidd said.

“Kai is part of the family,” he said. “On and off the court, I’m here to help. When you talk about Josh and Hardy, we are trying to help these young guys. I think a man like Kai would be good for Hardy and Josh. I joked with Josh, don’t dribble like Kyrie, just keep the ball in front, not behind. But it will help a lot of our young guys get better.”

Here’s more to watch as the Mavericks and Clippers tie in on national television (ESPN).

• Paul George has a lighter version of Luca this season. He averages 23.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting 39 percent from three-point range. That was enough for him to be called a star reserve. Still, the Clippers’ best player of late is Kawhi Leonard, who averaged 28.8 points and 45.8 percent shooting from 3-pointers in his last nine games.
• It’s the average game of the Mavericks’ five-game western trip, culminating in Friday and Saturday games in Sacramento.
• The Clippers are in the top 10 teams in overall defensive rating and are third in the league in the fewest points scored at 110.9 per game. This is partly a result of the relatively slow pace at which they play. But they are also ninth in the league in capping opponents at 46.7 percent.

DALLAS MAVERICS (29-26) – LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (31-26)

• When: 21:00 Wednesday.
• Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles.
• TV: Bally’s Sports Southwest, ESPN.
• Radio:1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

Twitter: @ESefko