Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his 31 points in an extraordinary fourth quarter and gave the Dallas Mavericks a momentous win at home against the Sacramento Kings (119-123) to keep his team alive in the fight for a place in the ' West play-in.
The Mavericks came to the event after a three-game losing streak culminating in a traumatic setback in overtime against the Atlanta Hawks, but with the win against the Kings they caught up with the Oklahoma City Thunder in tenth place, the last place that gives access to the 'play-in'.
Dallas still trails the Thunder, who won head-to-heads in the regular season, so they need to win one more than the Thunder in their remaining two games. If they lose at home to the Kings, the Mavericks could officially be out of the 'play-in' this Thursday, when the Thunder will visit the Utah Jazz.
But Jason Kidd's Texan team rebelled and sealed a great victory led by a monumental Irving, who stepped forward with some spectacular plays to give the Mavericks victory. Irving finished with 31 points, six 3-pointers and eight assists, while Luka Doncic of Slovenia contributed 29 to resist De'Aaron Fox's 28.
In the last two games of their difficult season, the Mavericks will host the Chicago Bulls on Friday and the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. The Thunder will play in the field of the Jazz and will be measured next with the Memphis Grizzlies, second.
