The main story of Tuesday night’s contest between the Brooklyn Nets and the Dallas Mavericks did not offer much. Kyrie Irving made his first return to the Barclays Center since Brooklyn traded him to Dallas at last season’s trade deadline, but other than an interesting mix of boos and cheers, there wasn’t much to report.

Brooklyn gave their former guard a tribute … well not a video, but a perfunctory ‘thank you,’ grouping him in with ex-Nets Markieff Morris and Seth Curry. Perhaps Irving felt slighted, or perhaps he just wanted to gently remind his old team of what they’re missing. Hooping, after all, was never the issue.

Irving led all scorers with 21 in the first half, and would continue trading places with his Batman, Luka Dončić, all night for the scoring lead. However, the visiting Mavs would not do the same, maintaining a chokehold on the Nets that ranged from deadly to uncomfortable, but never in doubt.

While the Nets struggled to guard Dallas’ dynamic back-court in the first half, the offensive end was an even bigger issue. Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges improved on their dreadful performances from Monday night, but were carrying a heavy burden amid the absences of Cam Johnson and Lonnie Walker IV. On top of which, Ben Simmons had returned, meaning that space in the half-court was even more of an issue…

Still, Simmons re-iterated his desire to remain in the starting lineup post-game: “That’s my preference, yeah … I want to start. You know, I’m more useful starting than off the bench.”

That being said, Bridges and Thomas never let go of the wheel. Bridges once again lit it up from three, shooting 5-of-11 to finish with 28 points. Thomas shot just 6-of-16, but navigated the floor much more smoothly, even in a crowded paint, to finish with a near triple-double: 16/8/8….

Much of the difference between the Bridges/Thomas and Kyrie/Luka pairs, at least in the first half, was their supporting cast. Dallas took a 65-47 lead into the break on the strength of their ancillary 3-point shooting.

The non-star Mavs shot 6-of-11 from deep, their looks often a result of aggressive traps sent Dončić’s way. For Brooklyn, the only role player to hit a three was Royce O’Neale, who shot 2-of-6 from beyond. Thomas and Bridges did what they could, but they didn’t have the horses to truly compete.