Dallas Mavericks sensation and 2010-11 Duke basketball guard Kyrie Irving recorded a season high with his 43 points in Sunday night’s 122-120 road loss to the Denver Nuggets (7-3). And he did so efficiently, shooting 17-for-22 from the field, 6-for-8 beyond the arc, and 3-for-3 at the charity stripe while committing only one turnover and one foul.

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However, the defeat marked Dallas’ third in its past four outings, coinciding with the stretch that the squad has been without the services of its other Duke basketball one-and-done product in second-year NBA center and former No. 12 overall draft pick Dereck Lively II. The 20-year-old 7-footer is recovering from a right shoulder sprain.

Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Irving, an eight-time All-Star and 2016 NBA champion who is now in his third year with the Mavericks (5-5) and 14th season as a pro since hearing his name No. 1 overall in 2011, added five rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block against the Nuggets.

Those stats complete what stands as Irving’s heftiest box score this season, despite the loss.

Through his 10 appearances for the 2024-25 Mavericks, who are looking to ride the momentum from the franchise’s run to the NBA Finals last go-round, Kyrie Irving is averaging 25.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and only 1.6 turnovers.

Most notably, he’s currently shooting a career-best 53.9 percent from the field, including 55.2 percent from downtown on 5.8 attempts per game.

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