ATLANTA – Kyrie Irving entered Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks wearing a brown and green colorway of his ANTA KAI 1 Speed ​​sneakers called “Young at Heart.”

After missing 10 of his first 13 shots, Irving swapped his cleats for a purple version of his signature shoes at halftime, hoping to snap out of his shooting slump.

Irving, who was battling an illness that ravaged several members of the Mavericks, regained his offensive groove in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 of his game-high 32 points. He connected on six of his eight shot attempts. It was a timely heat check with four straight three-pointers to help Dallas leave State Farm Arena with a 129-119 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

“It’s about time we got some of those shots in,” Irving said. “A lot of the shots I made in the first half were short and just missed some easy bunnies. It’s easy to get frustrated, which I was, but as a human being you just have to feel those emotions, stay present in them and just deal with the results.

Irving said Hawks guard Dyson Daniels played a role in his low field goal percentage in the first half. The third-year guard was active on defense and finished with two steals and two blocks for 17 points on Monday. Irving said he thanked Daniels – who he called his “Aussie brother” because of their shared roots in Australia – after the game for making him better.

Irving was one of four Mavericks players to score at least 20 points. Naji Marshall finished with 22 points and six rebounds. Jaden Hardy scored a season-high 23 points. Spencer Dinwiddie also had a season high off the bench with 22 points.

Dinwiddie, who is quite familiar with Irving’s game from their time as teammates in Brooklyn, wasn’t surprised by the high scoring in the fourth quarter.

‘That’s what he does. They call him the king of the fourth, right? Dinwiddie said. We know he spent the night trying out the game and getting to places he wanted to go. It’s a bit like boxing. Once you get that rhythm, you can start counterpunching. You can throw the jab. Throw the hook. You set a rhythm. You set a cadence. You want to flip that switch. He saw one go in, and then it’s over.

Irving is one of several players, including Quentin Grimes and Dereck Lively II, with an illness that spread through the team after Friday’s win over the Denver Nuggets. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd highlighted Irving’s leadership in playing while sick.

“Exhausted is the key,” Jason Kidd said. “This was a weird road trip, from Denver to Miami to (Atlanta). We asked a lot of him on an offensive level. In short, he could easily have not played here due to illness, but he fought through it and showed our group what it means to lead, and also to be there in difficult times.

Irving, who spoke with mild congestion, was asked about his decision to change shoes after the game.

“It’s basketball, buddy. I’m a stereotypical hooper,” Irving said. “Sometimes, if you’re not playing well in one pair, change it up. That’s it.”

After the game, Irving took off the shoes and gave them to the son of Atlanta hip-hop artist 2Chainz before spending a significant amount of time posing for photos and signing autographs for every fan waiting to enter the visitors’ tunnel. .

It was his final assist of the night and marked the end of another clutch performance to lead the Mavericks.

X/Twitter: @MikeACurtis2

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