‘Heck Of A One-Two Punch’: Dusty May Praises Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg’s Communication Before Mavericks-Hawks
DALLAS — Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg will play together for the second time Friday night, when the Dallas Mavericks close the preseason against the Atlanta Hawks. It is the first time the two will share the floor at American Airlines Center, and both are in the starting lineup.
Their only game together came Oct. 11 at The Venetian Arena in Macao, where Dallas beat the Houston Rockets 132-115. Irving had 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in 22 minutes on 6-of-13 shooting in his first game since he tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3, 2025, against the Sacramento Kings. Flagg finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists in 25 minutes.
Both rested Wednesday in a 101-97 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Irving also sat out the Oct. 9 opener in Macao, a 135-117 loss to Houston in which Flagg had 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in 19 minutes.
Dusty May On Kyrie Irving And Cooper Flagg’s Communication
Irving is 34. Flagg turns 20 in December. Mavericks coach Dusty May said the pair will be in hundreds of different situations with different spacing and lineups, and he wants each of them to care about the position the other one is in.
“I’ve been most impressed with how intentional both of them are to get on the same page, to talk about what the other one saw or what they’re thinking in certain scenarios,” May said. “It’s such a complex game. They’re going to be in hundreds and thousands of different situations with different spacing and lineups.”
“And so just for them to not only, like, care about what position the other’s in, it’s going to bode well down the line for those guys,” May continued. “Because obviously, that’s a heck of a one-two punch once we find our rhythm.”
Irving was the first overall pick in 2011. He is a nine-time All-Star and won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Dallas took Flagg first overall in 2025, and he was the unanimous Rookie of the Year last season, when the Mavericks went 26-56 with Irving out all year.
Atlanta Hawks Bring Dyson Daniels, Luguentz Dort To American Airlines Center
Atlanta swept both meetings with Dallas last season, 124-112 and 135-120, and the Hawks are 3-1 this preseason. In 2024-25, Dyson Daniels averaged a league-leading 3.0 steals per game. He made the All-Defensive First Team that season and the All-Defensive Second Team last season.
The Hawks added Luguentz Dort in July in the three-team trade that sent Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas. Dort was an All-Defensive First Team pick in 2025 while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
May is eager to see his team against Atlanta’s perimeter defenders. He called the Hawks one of the more disruptive teams in the league.
“Tonight I’m anxious to see us against some of the fastest, most athletic perimeter defenders in the league,” May explained.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT on KFAA and MavsTV. Dallas opens the regular season Oct. 21 at Houston, with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. CT.
