(Basketball news) The newest Dallas Mavericks member Kyrie Irving helped his side get an impressive win over the Los Angeles Clippers 110-104. For the Mavericks, Irving scored 24 points as Doncic was still sidelined by injury while Kyrie meshed well with his young teammates just three days after the eight-time All-Star was traded from the Brooklyn Nets. Former Clipper Reggie Bullock scored 15 of his 18 points in the first quarter against his old team as all five Dallas starters reached double figures. For the Clippers, Norman Powell scored 24 points and Terance Mann added 21 points as their two-game winning streak ended while Paul George added 20 points. Kawhi Leonard had two points in the first half, finishing with 18 points.
”It felt good to get this debut out of the way,” Irving said. ”It’s just been a long 96 hours, barely any sleep sometimes. It’s the first time I ever got traded in the middle of the season, so it was new for me, but I’m excited that I’m here.”
”The most important thing that we stressed as a team was just don’t force the ball to me. We just want to play natural basketball,” Irving said. ”You don’t always have to come to me. You can play off me, I can play off the ball, I can cut. I’m sure when number 77 gets back it’ll be even more enjoyable to see and play out there,”
”Ky just had that bounce and that mentality that I’m going to show what I can do and make my presence felt right away,” George said. ”You felt it the second they got into their first possession, just his motor.”
”He makes things look easy,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. ”The comfort level he feels with us, you could see it in the game. He is at peace with his basketball game.”
The Boston Celtics got the better of the Philadelphia 76ers as they beat them 106-99. For the Celtics, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White scored 19 points apiece as Tatum had 12 points, nine assists and eight rebounds while Jaylen Brown went off injured as he collided with Tatum under the basket.Blake Griffin got the start and hit five 3-pointers for a season-high 15 points, and Grant Williams scored 15 points and added eight rebounds. For the 76ers, Joel Embiid scored 28 points and James Harden added 26 points and 11 assists as they lost their second game in a row having won nine of their previous 11. The Boston Celtics improved their record to 39-16.
”Boston has beaten us twice, and Boston won the East last year. Boston is the best team in the East. I said that before,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. ”It’s our job to prove that wrong. But we have a lot of time to do that.”
”I could have made some of those 3s,” Rivers told reporters. ”Well, maybe not me. I was a poor shooter. But someone in this room could have made those 3s.”
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