Dallas, TX
Earlier impacts from Kyrie Irving have Dallas Mavericks on doorstep of second round
LOS ANGELES — Jason Kidd’s decision to draw up a play for Kyrie Irving on the first possession of Game 5 set an intentional tone for Wednesday’s blowout victory over the LA Clippers.
Long before Irving’s two-way highlight that led to one of his most impressive plays of the first round, he opened scoring for both teams by using the same shot that helped the Clippers trounce the Mavericks in Game 4 as he threw up a floater over the outstretched arms of Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac.
On the next possession, Irving threw an overhead pass to a cutting P.J. Washington for an easy dunk. The next time Dallas scored derived from an alley-oop connection from Luka Doncic to Derrick Jones Jr. Irving had another score inside the paint a couple of possessions later.
The Mavericks’ diverse offense, coupled with several possessions of suffocating defense, led to a dominant 123-93 victory in what could have been the Clippers’ last home game at Crypto.com Arena. The 30-point blowout began with the early assertiveness from Irving, who had typically waited to look for his shot until after the first quarter.
“I think it sends a very direct message, not only to my teammates and me, but to the other team that we see a mismatch out there,” Irving said. “We see something that we can take advantage of. It’s no disrespect to who we’re playing against … when your number is called, you just gotta be ready to stay aggressive. I felt pretty good and confident that J [Kidd] threw some plays my way and I was able to get it going.”
A glance at Irving’s stat line of 14 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals probably wouldn’t mean much to the casual fan. His 40-point explosion through the final three quarters in Game 4 may appear more impactful. However, his five shot attempts in the first quarter were his most through any first quarter in the series, which required the Clippers to send double-teams earlier than usual.
As a result, Dallas’ athletic group of forwards and centers had more freedom to cut to the rim for lobs and easy baskets. Doncic, who played through injury and illness, also had his most efficient outing of the series with 35 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists with a plus/minus rating of 28. Irving led the team with a plus/minus of 35 — the highest of any player through the series.
Since his acquisition last season, Irving’s been lauded in Dallas for serving as a leader and a co-star next to Doncic. Irving is typically known for his offensive abilities, but he’s embraced the challenge as a defender as well.
“You gotta have great conditioning to be able to make an impact on that end,” Irving said. “We have so much firepower in here, I don’t necessarily have to rely on my offensive abilities to get me going. I really take pride in it and it carries over to my teammates.”
Despite giving up a couple of inches, he’s been the primary defender of James Harden. The two former teammates from Brooklyn have swapped baskets on each other throughout the series.
“Kyrie was playing great defense and pressuring [Harden] the whole time,” Doncic said.
Irving had two steals Wednesday, including one from Harden with eight minutes left in the third quarter. The crafty veteran used his elite ball-handling to go from one side of the court to the other, but the combination of a right-to-left crossover into a behind-the-back dribble allowed Irving to keep a defending Norman Powell on his toes.
Irving finished a layup through contact with his off-hand, putting the finishing touches on a play that garnered attention from several notable names, including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Isaiah Thomas. He credited his AAU coach, Sandy Pyonin, for challenging him to keep his head up while dribbling at full-speed.
“Not a lot of people can go from A to B and make five moves while they’re running,” Irving said. “I think that’s something that separates me from a lot of different guards in the league. … Some of the moves just come out of the creative air. It feels good that I was able to finish it, but I knew it was a bigger play than just the highlight.”
The play was a momentum shift for the Mavericks, who will return to Dallas looking to close out the Clippers in six games. Before the series began, Doncic was asked about what separates this Mavericks team from the groups who lost to the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.
“We have Kai,” Doncic said.
Twitter/X: @MikeACurtis2
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
The Dallas Cowboys boasted one of the best offenses in the NFL this past season, but it wasn’t enough to get them into the playoffs. Even with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams, they were unable to make up for their porous defense, finishing the season 7-9-1.
This offseason, Dallas was on a mission to fix that defense. Jerry Jones vowed he would put in the work and while they might not have an elite unit, they definitely look improved on paper.
With the biggest moves this offseason done, let’s rank the position groups for the Cowboys, which begins with the most obvious strength.
Wide Receiver
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are arguably the best duo in the game, which makes this the Cowboys’ strongest position on its own. Throw in Ryan Flournoy, who had a breakout season in 2025, and it looks even better.
Dallas has depth beyond this as well, with KaVontae Turpin, who had 396 yards receiving last year, as their WR4. Even rookie seventh-round pick Anthony Smith has some upside.
Safety
Rookie Caleb Downs immediately makes this group better, but he’s not the only addition. The Cowboys also signed Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in free agency. For good measure, they also have Malik Hooker as they turned a perennial weakness into a strength this offseason.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott carries this group, especially after another spectacular season. Behind Prescott, however, the Cowboys are still strong with Joe Milton III and Sam Howell. Either player could wind up as the QB2 and could keep the offense going in the short-term.
Defensive Line
Defensive tackle has been a weakness for years, but Jones decided that had to change. Entering 2026, Dallas has Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Otitto Ogbonnia, Jonathan Bullard, and rookie LT Overton, which is a solid group.
Offensive Line
The interior of the Dallas offensive line could make this one of the best groups overall with Cooper Beebe, Tyler Smith, and Tyler Guyton all standing out at their respective positions.
The problem is that offensive tackle has some concerns. Tyler Guyton hasn’t lived up to his draft status and Terence Steele hasn’t played up to his contract. Drew Shelton could eventually take over for one, but the rookie needs time to develop.
EDGE
There’s not an All-Pro on the edge like there was when Micah Parsons was in Dallas, but the group is much deeper this season. Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence, and James Houston can all have big roles this season. They’re even going to try Marist Liufau on the edge, but the depth might be an issue for him.
Tight End
Jake Ferguson had eight touchdowns in 2025, which was huge. The problem is that he struggled with ball security, hardly had any yards after the catch, and finished with an average of just 7.3 yards per reception.
Luke Schoonmaker has been the TE2, but he could be pushed by Brevyn Spann-Ford. Undrafted free agent Michael Trigg is a player to watch, but he’s unlikely to produce much as a rookie.
Cornerback
Defensive coordinator Christian Parker is a fan of Shavon Revel, and if he can turn him into a starter, that would be huge for this position.
Right now, there are far too many questions, with the durability of DaRon Bland being chief among them.
Entering OTAs, there’s a chance free agent pickup Cobie Durant could be their best option at cornerback. He’s a solid addition, but they need someone else to step up as well.
Linebacker
We recently noted that linebacker remains the greatest need on this team. They did a great job by trading for Dee Winters and rookie Jaishawn Barham could wind up being a great fit.
That said, they need DeMarvion Overshown to stay healthy for this group to succeed. If he misses time, their lack of depth will hurt them.
Running Back
Linebacker might be the primary need, but running back comes in last here due to the concerns behind Javonte Williams.
There’s no denying that Williams is a stud. He broke out in 2025 with 1,201 yards but the depth is questionable. If second-year back Jaydon Blue improves, this position group would climb the ranks in a hurry. For now, however, there are too many question marks.
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Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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