Irving scores 37 in return to TD Garden

Kyrie Irving scored 37 points with eight assists in his return to Boston and Kevin Durant added 29 for Brooklyn Friday to lead the Nets to a 123-95 victory against the Celtics at TD Garden.

Jarrett Allen added 11 rebounds for the Nets, who remained perfect so far this season and sent Boston to its first loss. Irving was 7 of 10 from 3-point range in his first regular-season game at TD Garden since he opted out of his Celtics contract in 2019.

“We’re going to continue to see them. We’re in the same division,” Irving said, adding that there was “nothing added” to his motivation in playing his former team.

Jaylen Brown scored 27 with eight rebounds for the Celtics and Jayson Tatum had 20 points and eight boards. The Celtics beat Milwaukee in their opener Wednesday on Tatum’s last-second shot over Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they couldn’t do it again in their second consecutive matchup against a team expected to contend in the Eastern Conference this season.

“The benefit of playing these two games against two other great teams is that it forces you to be better,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said. “It tests you to see where you’re at, it sets the bar, and now you know what you have to strive for.”

Bucks

Khris Middleton scored 31 points and Milwaukee won its first Christmas Day home game in over half a century with a 138-99 victory against the Golden State Warriors. Middleton went 6 for 8 from 3point range, leading a strong performance from deep for his team. Milwaukee was 20 of 37 from beyond the arc, while Golden State was 10 of 45.

Elsewhere

Basketball Hall of Famer K.C. Jones, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion who won eight consecutive NBA titles in the Celtics’ Bill Russell era and then coached the Boston teams with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to two more championships in the 1980s, died Friday at an assisted living facility in Connecticut. He was 88.