Kyrie returns as Celtics extend streak to 13
DeRozan, Raptors roll over Rockets • Popovich gets milestone victory as Spurs shoot past Mavericks
The pairing of Kyrie Irving and a protective mask is not a loving combination, to be sure.
Irving returned to the Boston Celtics wearing the contraption to protect a small facial fracture under his right eye, and with varying degrees of irritation, he pulled it off last night during every break in play.
And as Irving and his teammates took the Celtics to their 13th straight win with a tight 109-102 finish against the Brooklyn Nets, the air filled with “MVP” chants from all those fans of the visiting team at the Barclays Center, notably when he made two trips to the free throw line in the last 1:48.
The masked Irving might have disliked his new look, but despite the awkwardness, he sprung for 25 points and five assists.
As irksome as the clear plastic mask might be, Irving said it was better from a team perspective than the black one he wore in 2012 with the Cleveland Cavaliers to protect a broken jaw.
“I was telling some of my teammates, some of the fans, too, they were asking me whether I was going to wear the black mask,” Irving said. “The difference with the black mask is that they’re not getting the ball because I couldn’t see outside of my eyesight. So I was like, little do you guys know – they’re like, ‘Oh, the Masked Man, the black mask’ – I scored that many because I was just looking at the basket. So a lot of my peripheral vision and driving, I could only see what’s in front of me.
“That black mask, like, it just takes away your vision, so I’m just like, ‘Oh, basket.’ Like, this is just the best-case scenario. So that’s the whole black mask thing. So I’m glad I get to wear a clear one. I’m telling these guys, ‘Come on, show some gratitude. I’m showing gratitude, too, for not wearing that black mask.’ So yeah, hopefully a few more weeks in the mask and I’ll be out of it.”
In truth, the Celtics offense, which has often struggled even with Irving’s face unimpeded – indeed, his 8-for-20 shooting performance wasn’t all that different from his 44.4 percent coming in – was no better last night. But Marcus Morris, with 21 points, went for his biggest night as a Celtic, including a seven-point fourth quarter, the same number put up by Irving down the stretch. Al Horford also continued his efficient run, with 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
Horford has shot 16-for-19 during his past two games.
These Nets are a volume-shooting, pace-accelerated team under coach Kenny Atkinson. Brooklyn was only the fourth team, and only the second during this 13-game winning streak, to break 100 against the C’s this season.
One would think a team playing this style is good preparation for the next one on the schedule – the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors visiting on Thursday night.
The Celtics’ lead grew to 95-83 heading into the final five minutes, but Brooklyn found its range again, and Alan Crabbe cut the deficit to 95-91 with back-to-back threes.
Following a stretch of trading shots, Irving came out of a rebound pack with the ball following a Rondae Hollis-Jefferson miss, and Jaylen Brown extended the break with a lob to a dunking Jayson Tatum for a 104-96 lead.
With the crowd chanting, “MVP,” Irving found himself back at the line with 37.1 seconds left, hitting twice for a 106-96 lead that would finally prove to be enough.
“We’re just gelling together, and we’re defending our [butts] off,” Morris said. “That helps a lot. Sometimes our offense gets a little stagnant, but at the end of the day, if we defend the right way, we’re going to win games.” (Boston Herald/TNS)
Raptors 129, Rockets 113
DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 27 points as Toronto ended Houston’s sixgame winning streak.
Kyle Lowry and C.J. Miles scored 19 points apiece for the Raptors, with the latter drilling 6-of-9 three-pointers off the bench.
Toronto led by 12 at halftime and had to repeatedly shut down rally attempts from the Rockets.
Houston sliced a 20-point deficit to get the score to 108-103 midway through the fourth quarter ,but followed with a string of turnovers that fueled another Raptors run to a double-digit lead.
James Harden paced Houston with 38 points, to go along with 11 assists and six rebounds. He has scored at least 20 points and had seven or more assists in every game this season.
Spurs 97, Mavericks 91
LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 32 points and Patty Mills also hit a season-high 19 to lead San Antonio past Dallas.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich became the fastest NBA coach to 500 road wins. He got there in 835 away games, 41 fewer than Pat Riley. Those two and Don Nelson are the only coaches to win 500 games on the road.
San Antonio, still playing without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, took a 34-31 lead with eight minutes to go in the second quarter and held on the rest of the way. The Spurs have won five of their past six games.
Aldridge is averaging nearly 23 points per game in his second season in San Antonio as the club awaits the returns of Leonard and Parker.
The Mavs, who dropped to 2-13, shot below 35 percent for most of the game and finished just 10-of-34 from three-point range.
Rookie Dennis Smith Jr. led Dallas with 27 points in defeat. The Mavericks are 2-13 for the second straight season and fifth time in franchise history.