Let’s chill on comparing Luka and Kyrie to Steph and Klay, for now

Let’s chill on comparing Luka and Kyrie to Steph and Klay, for now originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The box before the first box has been handled. Behind the dominant duo of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, the No. 5-seeded Dallas Mavericks punched their ticket to the 2024 NBA Finals after beating the No. 3-seed Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, ending the Western Conference Finals with a 21-point blowout win Thursday night on the road.

What was supposed to be a stifling Timberwolves defense gave fans wishing for a refund shortly after tip-off. Dončić came into Game 5 averaging an all-time NBA playoffs best 34.2 points following a loss. He already was up to 20 after the first quarter, one more point than the Timberwolves’ 19. Irving then scored 15 in the second.

By halftime, Dončić and Irving had scored 44 points on 63 percent shooting.

Minnesota made 35 percent of its first-half shots, scoring a total of 40 points.

When it was all said and done on the Mavs’ beatdown over the Wolves, Dončić and Irving had produced nearly identical stat lines. Each scored 36 points and had five assists. Dončić did his scoring on 14-of-22 shooting and went 6 of 10 from three, while Irving was 14 of 27 from the field and 4 of 10 on 3-pointers. Dončić also inhaled a team-high 10 rebounds.

The Timberwolves’ top-scoring duo of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 28 points. But both put up 16 of their points in the second half when the Wolves already faced a 29-point halftime deficit, and Towns only made one of his six 3-point attempts as the self-proclaimed greatest big man shooter of all time.

Luka and Kyrie are a special pairing in the backcourt. Historically special. So here’s when I say it: Let’s chill on comparing them to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

Former NBA head coach and current TNT color commentator Stan Van Gundy called the Dončić-Irving couple “arguably the best offensive backcourt in the history of the NBA,” before Game 1 of the conference finals. Van Gundy then doubled down after Game 3, saying “It’s the most talented offensive backcourt in the history of the NBA,”…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/lets-chill-comparing-luka-kyrie-200443665.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-05-31 20:04:43

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