Luka Dončić Wows NBA Fans as Kyrie Irving Outduels Kevin Durant in Mavs’ Win vs. Suns

Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

Anytime Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving face off in their respective careers it will be a storyline, given the calamity that was their time together in Brooklyn.

Thursday night’s matchup between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks wouldn’t have been any different except for one factor—Luka Dončić was the best player on the court.

The MVP candidate had another superb performance, putting up 41 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in the Mavs’ 123-113 win over the Suns.

Irving was hardly chopped liver, adding 29 points and five boards. As for the Suns, Devin Booker went off (35 points, eight assists, five rebounds), while Durant had a solid 23 points.

But it’s Luka’s world right now, and social media was yet again in awe of another masterpiece performance:

Dončić’s exploits weren’t just fun to watch but also were pretty important for the postseason picture. With the win, the Mavericks (33-23) leapfrogged the Suns (33-23) in the standings, claiming the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series, 2-1.

That could end up mattering quite bit given how tight the Western Conference playoff picture is at the moment. While there’s plenty of basketball left to be played, Thursday’s win moved the Mavericks out of the Play-In Tournament berths and bumped the Suns back to the No. 7 seed.

It would be pretty marvelous seeing these teams eventually face off in the postseason, given the history between Irving and Durant and the very real animosity between Dončić and Booker.

Right now, one thing is clear—the Mavericks will have the best player on the court if the two teams face yet again. Dončić is on a different level right now.