There’s still plenty of love between former Mavericks teammates Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving after the blockbuster deal that sent Doncic to Los Angeles.
Irving suffered what was revealed to be a season-ending torn left ACL against the Kings Monday night, and while Doncic is now a Laker after a the deadline deal, he expressed his best wishes to his former running mate that helped lead Dallas to last year’s NBA Finals.
“You will come back stronger mi hermano!” Doncic posted to his Instagram story on Tuesday, calling Irving his “brother.”
The pair spent two-and-a-half seasons together in Dallas as one of the NBA’s premier duos.
In 128 games with the Mavericks, Irving has averaged 25.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Doncic and Irving were relied upon very heavily during Dallas’ run to the NBA Finals a season ago, as Irving was playing 40 minutes per night and averaged 22.1 points per game while Doncic also played 40 minutes per night and put up 28.9 points per game.
When Doncic’s Lakers took on the Mavericks in L.A. on Feb. 25 — their first matchup since the league-altering trade — Los Angeles beat Dallas 107-99.
Doncic posted a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in a “revenge game” that included staring down the Dallas bench, while Irving put his team on his back in the loss with 35 points.
The teams’ next matchup will be in Dallas on April 9 where Doncic will make his first appearance in the American Airlines Center since the stunning deal.
Doncic’s return to the Lone Star State is highly anticipated, but the loss of Irving will certainly change the landscape and expectations of the game.
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