Kyrie Irving credits LaMelo Ball's toughness to brothers LiAngelo and Lonzo Ball "beating up on him" in childhood 

LaMelo Ball's Charlotte Hornets dispatched Kyrie Irving's Dallas Mavericks 110-105 during Monday's home matchup. Following Ball and Co.'s last-second victory, Irving lauded the fifth-year player's development, citing his older brothers Lonzo Ball and LiAngelo Ball's impact on him.

LaMelo and Hornets forward Miles Bridges each tallied a team-best 23 points as Charlotte held on for its season-high third consecutive victory. The duo overcame Irving's game-high 33-point performance, including 26 points in the second half.

The shorthanded Mavericks, missing superstar guard Luka Doncic (calf) and center Dereck Lively II (ankle), nearly forced overtime. However, veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson missed a game-tying 3-point attempt with his squad trailing 108-105 in the closing seconds.

While Monday's defeat marked Dallas' fourth in five outings, Irving seemingly didn't get too down postgame. The 2016 NBA champion took the opportunity to praise LaMelo, underscoring the significance of his upbringing in a basketball family.

"He's got good pedigree, man. He comes from a family that has pros," Irving said (Timestamp: 0:28). "Lonzo's helped him out a lot. Obviously, playing with Gelo, too.

"They have a tight-knit group. I feel like that's always led to him being as confident as he is as a young player, playing against older guys, and having brothers that beat up on him a little bit."

LiAngelo's attempts to make the NBA via the NBA G League and foreign stints have fizzled out. However, Lonzo has carved out a six-season career as a two-way guard.

Nevertheless, LaMelo has surpassed both his brothers' basketball production by a considerable margin and appears poised for his second All-Star selection.

Following Monday's victory, LaMelo is averaging a career-high 29.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 4.3 3-pointers per game through 28 outings. Meanwhile, he is thriving in All-Star fan voting, ranking first among Eastern Conference guards with 1,908,967 votes in the latest returns.

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Kyrie Irving wants LaMelo Ball to continue proving doubters wrong

During his postgame discussion about LaMelo Ball, Kyrie Irving noted that he looks forward to witnessing the next step of the 23-year-old's career.

The eight-time All-Star added that he hopes Ball overcomes the narrative that he is a "good stats, bad team" player.

"I'm happy for him, proud of him, man. Just want to see him continue to be successful," Irving said. "... I want to see that young guy reach his potential even more and answer a lot of the doubters and naysayers that say he can't win."

Despite riding a three-game winning streak, the Hornets have the league's fifth-worst record (11-28). So, Ball seemingly has a way to go before changing his reputation among casual NBA viewers.

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