In what was a true back-and-forth affair, the Sacramento Kings were ultimately downed by the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday evening by a final score of 123-119. De'Aaron Fox's sensational 28-point and 8-assist performance proved to be all for naught, as a hungry Kyrie Irving went full God-mode late in the game to wipe away any possibility of a Kings victory.

During the final period, the eight-time All-Star erupted for a whopping 19 points while shooting 63.6% from the field and 80.0% from distance.

Following the contest, Fox was asked by reporters if there was anything the Kings could have done to slow Irving down late in the game. In a straightforward response, the point guard gave the veteran his props, insinuating that there was simply no way of stopping him.

“I think he made tough shots,” De'Aaron Fox said on Kyrie Irving. “We blitzed him a little bit but he had two [shots] at the end of the [shot] clock. Fadeaways, one was fading out of the corner. I mean, there's nothing you can do about that so, I mean, he got it going and you tip your hat to him.”

In 43 minutes played, Kyrie Irving finished the night with 31 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals while converting on 52.2% of his shots from the floor and 60.0% from the field.

With his heroics in the win, the Mavs now keep their hopes of partaking in the 2023 play-in tournament alive. At 38-42, they are currently stationed on the outside looking in on an eligible top-10 seed and are just two wins behind the ninth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.

With two games remaining on the regular season docket, it's safe to say Dallas is looking to win out.