Mavericks fans love what Luka Doncic did after Kyrie Irving’s game-winner vs Nuggets

Matthew Legros
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving embrace as members of the Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas Mavericks fans loved Luka Doncic’s amazed reaction after Kyrie Irving hit a ridiculous left-handed hook shot to defeat the defending NBA champions Denver Nuggets on Sunday night.

The Mavericks (39-29) led by as many as 13 points with 6:50 left in the fourth quarter before the Nuggets (47-21) stormed back to take a 105-102 lead with only 27 seconds remaining.

Doncic hit a deep 29-foot three-pointer to tie the game and handed the keys to Irving on the final play of the game. The 2024 NBA All-Star then went into his bag of tricks and threw up a circus shot with his off-hand at the buzzer.

The game-winner sent Doncic to the floor in disbelief as the Mavs secured a much-needed victory in a tight Western Conference playoff race. It also had fans erupt on social media and laud Irving’s clutch factor.

Mavs fans exploded over Luka Doncic’s Kyrie Irving reaction

Irving’s game-sealing basket wowed on many levels. His hook shot came from 21 feet out, which is rare for shots of that sort.

He also drained it over two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Using his non-dominant hand added to its high degree of difficulty.

After witnessing Irving’s second career buzzer-beating game-winner, Doncic put his hand to his face and hit the hardwood, needing a moment to process what went down.

On X, fans couldn’t get enough of the moment. They expressed their joy for Doncic finally having another teammate that can deliver in crunch time.

Some fans heralded Irving as the most skilled player ever and sung his praises for delivering in big moments.

The Slovenian point guard complimented Irving in his post-game press conference.

“That guy is just special,” Doncic said before touching on Irving working on shots like that in practice. “Anybody can try anything in practice. But, for the game-winner, man, he’s just different.”

Irving’s heroics helped the Mavs leapfrog the Phoenix Suns for the No. 7 seed in the West. They also entered into a tie-breaker situation with the No. 6-seeded Sacramento Kings for the Conference’s final playoff spot.

Come post-season, the Duke product’s reliability down the stretch will be key for Dallas’ title hopes. For now, Mavs fans are glad that Doncic has a No. 2 option like Irving that is capable of duplicating efforts like this.

If you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.

About The Author

Matthew graduated from Brooklyn College in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Communications. In the past, he's written for Heavy Sports, Sports Illustrated, and SB Nation. On top of penning scripts for Empire Sports Media, Matthew covers the latest NBA, NFL and Boxing news for Dexerto. His expertise lies in basketball, with a personal passion for track-and-field. You can contact him at matthew.legros@dexerto.com.