Kyrie Irving Stats: 2016 champion's 36 points not enough to lead Dallas to 5th straight win

Kyrie Irving was expected to play a yeoman’s role for the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday against the OKC Thunder. Irving and his teammates were on the road to face the best team in the Western Conference record-wise. They were set to play the second night of a back-to-back set and were without the injured Luka Doncic.

“Uncle Drew” had nine points in the first quarter and finished with 20 in the first half. Irving also had to orchestrate the offense which allowed him to tally eight dimes. Behind him, the Mavericks trailed by just 65-63 heading into the halftime break.

Kyrie Irving continued his form in the second half. He gallantly tried to push his team to the finish line but they were too undermanned. Dallas also lost Josh Green to a sprained ankle and then saw Daniel Gafford briefly leave due to a foot injury.

Here are Irving’s stats after a hard-fought game in Oklahoma:

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
Kyrie Irving	36	4	12	2	0	4	12-18	4-7	8-8	-10

Although injury-riddled, the Mavericks fought toe-to-toe with the Thunder for nearly the entire game. Jalen Williams and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, however, proved to be too much to overcome. Dallas' defeat was their first in a week.

Leading into the game against the Thunder, the 2016 NBA champ averaged 31.5 ppg, 7.5 apg and 5.7 rpg without “Luka Legend.” Notably, Dallas is 3-3 during that stretch. Those figures got a boost following his impressive performance on Thursday night.

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Kyrie Irving and Mavericks can still gain outright playoff berth

The loss to the OKC Thunder kept the Dallas Mavericks (38-29) in seventh place in the Western Conference. They are only half a game behind the Sacramento Kings for the sixth spot and final playoff berth. Dallas is also still within striking distance of the fifth-placed New Orleans Pelicans (39-26).

With 16 games left, the Mavericks can still accomplish their goal of punching a postseason ticket. To do that, they will need Luka Doncic and his co-star Kyrie Irving. Reaching their goal will be difficult if one of them is out as they have a tough schedule ahead of them.

Dallas’ future opponents include the Denver Nuggets once and the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets twice each. Part of the Mavericks slate will also feature the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and a rematch with the OKC Thunder.

It’s not a murderer’s row of teams but the Mavs will need Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to reach their planned destination.