Mavericks Beat 76ers 133-126 Thanks to 42 Points from Luka Doncic and 40 from Kyrie Irving

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 133-126 on Thursday night thanks to Luka Doncic’s 42 points, Kyrie Irving’s 40 points, and the brilliance of the new All-Star duo.

The 76ers were playing a night after a victory in Miami without their All-Star center, and Doncic defeated Joel Embiid in a matchup of the NBA’s top two scorers. Embiid finished with 35 points for the 76ers.

As the first Dallas teammates with at least 40 points in a single game, Irving and Doncic made history.

They scored a combined 10 points in the first 102 seconds of the third quarter to spark a 20-4 run that gave Dallas a 91-71 lead. They each scored 20 points in the first half while combining for 45.

While Embiid and James Harden were on the bench, the 76ers scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter to close the gap to four points, which allowed Doncic to enter the game earlier than expected.

A three-point play and a long 3-pointer by Irving helped Doncic, who had 12 assists, get going again, and Doncic then made another long one to put his team up 119-108. They each made 13 of 21 deep shots together.

Since Irving joined the team in the historic trade with Brooklyn, they have won two games in a row together. They also got help from others.

As five additional Mavericks also made 3-pointers, Dallas finished with a season-high 25 3-pointers on 48 attempts (52%).

In the first half, Harden finished with 19 points and 10 assists after making five of his first 11 shots—five from the field, three 3-pointers, and six free throws.

The 10-time All-Star guard’s second-half output was only eight points and three assists, and he committed two of his six turnovers in the fourth quarter as Dallas was regaining the lead. Doncic and Irving both stole the ball at that time.

TIP-INS

76ers: 29 points were scored by Tyrese Maxey. … At the end of the third quarter, Jalen McDaniels accrued four fouls in less than a minute after picking up three in just 14 seconds. McDaniels ran through a screen from Maxi Kleber for his fourth in the series and fifth overall, two seconds after he and coach Doc Rivers argued about a call when he knocked the ball out of Doncic’s hands.

Mavericks: Reggie Bullock (15 points) and Christian (10) were the other players in double figures. … Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber, etc. each went 2 of 4 from 3, with Hardaway scored eight while Kleber scored nine.

UP NEXT

76ers: At Milwaukee on Saturday, the third game of a five-game trip and third in four nights.

Sunday’s game between Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will be their first since both players were dealt by Brooklyn to the Mavericks.