Kyrie Irving's Christmas heroics in Luka Doncic's absence highly praised by $28m former champ 

Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving stepped up for his shorthanded squad during Wednesday's 105-99 Christmas Day home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. While Irving's standout performance wasn't enough to secure a victory, it earned him high praise from 2008 NBA champion Kendrick Perkins.

After losing superstar guard Luka Doncic to a strained left calf in the first half's closing minutes, Irving and Co. dug themselves a deep hole. They fell behind by as many as 28 points late in the third quarter, with the game appearing to be a lost cause.

However, Irving put his team on his back, tallying a game-high 39 points, including 26 in the second half, and five 3-pointers, shooting 51.9%. The eight-time All-Star's late-game heroics helped Dallas fight back and come within two points in the contest's final seconds, with Irving missing a go-ahead triple.

Despite the Mavericks' comeback effort coming up short, many were left raving about Irving's dominance. That includes the $28 million-worth Perkins (per Celebrity Net Worth), now an ESPN analyst, who proclaimed the 2016 NBA champion an all-time great offensive player.

"I'm watching a master at work. Yes, I'm talking about Kyrie MF Irving is the most skilled offensive player I've ever seen. Carry the hell on," Perkins wrote.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Dallas (19-11) is "bracing for Doncic to miss an extended period of time" due to his left calf strain. Fortunately for the team, it has remained competitive without the five-time All-Star this season, going 6-2.

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Kyrie Irving on Mavericks' success without Luka Doncic this season

While Dallas has fared well in Luka Doncic's absence, according to Kyrie Irving, his squad would prefer to have its superstar available full-time.

"Although we are 6-2 (without Doncic), that number doesn't really matter to me," Irving said postgame. "I'd rather be going to war, to battle with a healthy team."

The Mavericks commence a four-game Western Conference road trip on Friday against the Phoenix Suns (15-14). Per Shams Charania, Doncic, who "left the arena on crutches" on Wednesday, "is expected to undergo an MRI on Thursday."

Thus, the team should know its leading scorer's return timeline ahead of its next outing.

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