Kyrie Irving delivers for Dallas Mavericks, says they got to protect their arena

It has been an eventful last two weeks for the Dallas Mavericks. Since they have decided to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, anger and frustration among their fans have been palpable. The Mavericks fans have been asking for general manager Nico Harrison’s sacking since he made the stunning trade decision.

Amid the chaos, Mavericks talisman Kyrie Irving stepped up against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, leading his team to a 111-107 win.

Irving scored 42 points in the win and brought his best to the court while playing at home. 

“That was special,” said Mavs guard Klay Thompson, who had 17 points against his former team. “That was incredible — 42 and the defensive stop of the night. Yeah, that was incredible. Needed it bad, especially when I didn’t have my best shooting night. That’s our point guard, man. That was ridiculous.”

Irving gave credit to the fans for supporting them in numbers and said they had to bring their best for the supporters.

“Anytime you’re in a game like tonight and you’re looking for that energy, you look into the crowd, our fans, and you could drive yourself off that or get amplified, electrified off of that energy that’s in the crowd,” Irving said. “And it makes a big difference for us in in our home stadium. We got to protect it — our arena — and I feel like our fans know that. We’re obviously dealing with something unique, but at the same time we have to put our best foot forward.”

Irving went 15-of-25 from the floor and 7-of-10 from 3-point range. Stephen Curry showered praise on Irving for delivering for the Mavericks.

“That’s what great players do,” said Curry, who had 25 points. “They respond to all types of adversity and changes, as wild as they might be. Especially in that first half, we had a couple breakdowns that he was able to take advantage of. That just gives him even more life and more energy than he probably already had coming into the game. He gets going, it’s hard to stop.”

Dallas Mavericks will next take on the Miami Heat on Thursday.