Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving flash full potential in win over 76ers
Four of the top teams in the Western Conference will be in action for ABC’s Sunday Showcase as the Dallas Mavericks take on the Phoenix Suns (1 p.m. ET) with former Brooklyn teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant facing off as opponents for the first time in four years. Afternoon action continues with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Golden State Warriors (3:30 ET) as the Lakers look to snap the Warriors’ five-game winning streak and climb into the Play-In field.
Here are five stats to know about each matchup.
Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks (1 p.m. ET, ABC)
1. Durant’s immediate impact
In his first two games with the Suns, Kevin Durant is averaging 21.5 points on just 12.5 shots per game. He is shooting 68% (17-25) from the field and 50% (4-8) from 3-point range. The Suns have outscored their opponents by 37 points in Durant’s 58 minutes on court.
2. Devin Booker improving with KD
Phoenix was plus-26 in the 20 minutes Devin Booker (right) and Kevin Durant shared the floor together on Friday vs. the Bulls.
Devin Booker has averaged a team-best 36 points per game in the two games with Durant. Booker has averaged 25 shots per game and hit 54% of his field goals and 53% of his 3-pointers. Playing alongside another elite scorer in Durant will result in better looks for Booker. In their first two games as teammates, 46% of Booker’s shot attempts were open looks (closest defender at least four feet away). That is up from 42% before Durant’s arrival.
3. KD, Irving go head-to-head
In 18 career meetings between the regular season (13) and NBA Finals (5), Durant and Irving are split evenly at 9-9. Irving holds an 8-5 edge in the regular season, while Durant’s Warriors beat Irving’s Cavaliers 4-1 in the 2017 NBA Finals. While they finished even in wins, Durant had the statistical edge in head-to-head matchups.
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- Durant: 28.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.6 bpg, 49.9 FG%, 36.8 3P%, 85.9 FT%
- Irving: 23.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.2 bpg, 45.0 FG%, 42.7 3P%, 85.3 FT%
4. Luka on scoring tear
Luka Doncic poured in 42 points in the Mavericks’ 133-126 victory over the 76ers on Thursday.
Luka Doncic enters Sunday’s game as the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.4 points per game on the season – holding a slim 0.4 ppg lead over Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid. Adding another elite scorer in Irving has not stunted Doncic’s scoring as he’s averaged 33.1 ppg over seven games since Irving joined the Mavericks.
Doncic is coming off a 42-point performance in Dallas’ win over Philadelphia on Thursday as he and Irving combined for 82 points. It marked the first time in franchise history that Dallas had two 40-point scorers in the same game.
5. Kyrie’s plus/minus
In his first eight games with the Mavericks, Irving is averaging 6 points per game on 52.0/42.6/91.2 shooting splits, while adding 5.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. Irving has the best plus/minus (plus-77 in 300 minutes) of any Maverick since he joined the team.
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers (3:30 ET, ABC)
All-Access: Klay Thompson's recent surge
1. Warriors enter Sunday’s game riding a five-game win streak
With the end of the Sacramento Kings’ five-game winning streak Saturday night, the Warriors now have the longest active streak in the Western Conference. All five wins came at home as the Warriors swept a five-game homestand at Chase Center. Sunday marks the opening of a three-game road trip as Golden State looks to snap a six-game road losing streak. The Warriors last win away from Chase Center came on Jan. 30 at Oklahoma City.
2. Warriors road woes
Golden State has the 3rd-worst road defense in the league.
Golden State has the largest disparity between home wins (27) and road wins (7) as their seven road wins are tied with Detroit for the third-fewest in the league; only San Antonio (6) and Houston (5) have fewer road wins than the Warriors; they sit in 14th and 15th in the Western Conference, respectively, while Golden State has climbed to fifth.
The glaring difference between the home Warriors and road Warriors is their defense. On offense, the Warriors rank 14th at home (115.7) and 15th on the road (112.4). On defense, the Warriors rank 3rd at home (108.1) and 28th on the road (118.9).
3. LeBron remains sidelined
It was announced Thursday that LeBron James will miss at least three weeks with a right foot tendon injury, just as the Lakers are fighting to get into the playoff (1-6) or play-in (7-10) field as they enter Sunday’s game in 11th place in the Western Conference. The Lakers have been just over a .500 team with LeBron (24-23) this season but have gone just 6-11 in the 17 games he’s missed. They are 1-2 since LeBron last played on Feb. 26, with Anthony Davis averaging 33 points and 12 rebounds while appearing in two of the three games. Davis has played 11 games this season without LeBron, averaging 28.7 points, 15.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocks while shooting 51.9% (110-212) from the field, 20% (3-15) from 3-point range and 86.1% (93-108) from the free throw line. The Lakers have gone 4-7 in those games.
4. Curry’s return imminent
Stephen Curry hasn’t played since Feb. 4.
While the Lakers have gone 6-11 without LeBron, the Warriors have gone 14-12 without Stephen Curry, who is expected to return from injury during the Warriors’ three-game road trip (he’s listed as probable for Sunday). Jordan Poole, who has yet to miss a game all season, has averaged 26.1 points in 33.9 minutes in the 26 games Curry has missed. Klay Thompson has averaged 26.4 points in 34.7 minutes while appearing in 20 of the 26 games that Curry has missed.
5. Klay on fire from deep
In six games since the All-Star break, Klay Thompson has averaged 5.3 3-pointers made on 48.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Only Portland’s Damian Lillard (5.5 3pm in five games) and New York’s Julius Randle (5.4 3p, in five games) have averaged more 3-pointers made than Klay. Thompson led the Warriors in scoring – 28.6 ppg on 51/51/94 shooting splits – during their five-game home win streak.
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