Many fans have counted out the Dallas Mavericks after they traded away 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the franchise has proven many people wrong so far. Even after Anthony Davis went down with an injury in his Mavericks debut, Dallas has shined without Doncic.

The Mavericks hosted the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, pulling out a huge 111-103 win for their first game since the All-Star break. Mavericks star Kyrie Irving led the way with 35 points on 11-22 shooting from the field, 5-12 from beyond the arc, and 8-8 from the free-throw line.

Since the Doncic trade, Irving is averaging 28.8 points per game on 40.4% shooting from beyond the arc, leading the Mavericks to a 5-1 record. Many NBA fans have taken to social media to react to Irving’s dominant performance over the Pelicans to lead Dallas to another win.

“Kyrie putting the mavericks on his back!” one fan said.

“Kyrie ballin’ hard! It’s his team now,” another fan replied.

“Kyrie underrated … one of this generations very best,” a fan commented.

Irving has proven he can lead a team, although he has rarely gotten the opportunity to do so. Once Irving and Davis get more chances to share the court, the Mavericks will be a legitimate championship threat, especially when the nine-time All-Star point guard is playing like he was on Friday night.

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