The Dallas Mavericks, after a disappointing 2022-23 season, look like they're back with a bang to begin the new campaign. Luka Doncic has put in more effort on the defensive end of the court all the while maintaining his elite production on the offensive end, while Kyrie Irving, despite his shooting woes, has fully bought into the Mavs' system. The returns have been immense, with the Mavs showing the necessary mental fortitude to pull out some crucial wins in the clutch.

On Monday night, the Mavs found themselves in yet another close game, this time against the Orlando Magic. With around five minutes left in the game, the Mavs were holding on to a mere two-point lead. And that was when Doncic and Irving went to work.

In addition to clamping the Magic on defense, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving proceeded to score 16 of the Mavs' final 18 points, pulling away in the end with an impressive 117-102 win that gives them an excellent 6-1 record to begin the year. Irving, in particular, was huge during that final frame, as he gave the Mavs a sense of composure with the game still hanging in the balance.

“Seems like we like close games, huh? When I signed back here, I knew that my role was going to be a little bit different than it was on other teams,” Irving said in his postgame presser, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “But I knew one thing: For certain down the stretch, I was going to have to maintain my poise and make sure that the guys knew that they can look to me emotionally, mentally, just for that reassurance that we’re okay.”

And the Mavs, indeed, looked to Kyrie Irving to take them over the finish line and he did even though he had a rocky shooting display for much of the night. Now, Luka Doncic and company know that they only need to hang tough in most games to have a chance of winning, especially when they display such calmness in crunch-time.

“This is a great and very tough win for us. We’ve just got to keep fighting, keep playing defense, and it’s going to lead a long way,” Doncic added.