The Dallas Mavericks won their seventh consecutive game on Sunday, earning a 125-107 road victory over the Houston Rockets. While speaking to the media, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka had only positive things to say about Mavericks star Kyrie Irving. Udoka had no shortage of praise for the Mavs guard, as he even referred to Irving as the “best one-on-one player” he's ever seen.
Irving responded to Udoka's comments, via Grant Afseth of si.com.
“I’m appreciative of those compliments. And I honor those compliments,” Irving said. “I’ll say this, as well. I’m appreciative of everyone’s ‘most-skilled' compliments, but that’s not the reason why I picked up the basketball. I didn’t pick up the basketball to be the best one-on-one player or to be labeled as the most skilled. I just want to be known as a great winner; one of those guys that came through our league and left an impact and did it his own way, but also did it with some special teammates — and truly was inspirational in my approach.”
Irving is one of the most difficult players to contain in one-on-one situations. He's able to get past defenders with ease. Kyrie is also an excellent finisher around the basket, but he can also find the bottom of the net from all over the court.
Still, Irving wants his legacy to be defined by more than that. He hopes to be remembered for his inspirational approach and winning desire.
Kyrie Irving making huge impact on Mavericks
Luka Doncic had another MVP-caliber effort on Sunday. The Mavericks star recorded a 47-point, 12-rebound double-double. He also recorded seven assists and two steals.
Irving, though, had an impressive performance as well. He finished the game with 24 points and seven assists.
Irving has been the perfect co-star for Doncic in a lot of ways. Kyrie is capable of leading Dallas in scoring if necessary. If Luka isn't as aggressive offensively or is struggling with his shot, Irving can score 30 or more points.
Sometimes, though, Doncic is going to take over and drop 47 points. When that happens, Irving is still able to perform at a high level and do what it takes for Dallas to earn the victory. He leads by example and with his words, and the Mavericks would not be where they are without Kyrie Irving.
The 32-year-old is averaging 25.3 points per game on 49.4 percent field goal and 41.1 percent three-point shooting. He is also recording 5.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per outing.
Mavs looking to finish perfect road trip
The Mavericks would have been content with a 3-2 road trip. Going at least .500 or better away from home is acceptable. Instead, Dallas has gone 4-0 this road trip so far.
And it has not been an easy schedule. Sure, the Mavs' first game away from home was against the lackluster Utah Jazz. However, the Mavs then had back-to-back games against the Kings in Sacramento.
The Mavericks took care of business in both of those contests before defeating the Rockets on Sunday. And Houston was one of the hottest teams in the NBA heading into Sunday's affair.
Dallas will close the five-game road trip on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors. Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and the Mavs will look to finish with a perfect road trip via a win in San Francisco. Tip-off for Tuesday's Mavs-Warriors game is scheduled for 10 PM EST.
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