Kiri Irving has denied Mavs’s victory against his land against Boston – The Dallas Morning News

Boston – Kiri Irving has known how long it has been since he left TD Garden with a win.

He reminds that every time he steps a foot inside the illuminated arena. Any jin that comes along the way is a great pressure that his former team has had his number in Boston since he stepped down in the middle of the Lucky The Leprechaun display, the team mascot, in May 2021.

There is even a new championship banner hanging in the ribs, which serves as a clear symbol of the shortcomings of his Dallas Maverix in last year’s NBA finals.

But nothing lasts forever. After eight consecutive losses in Boston, Irving finally clicked his skid out as Maverix escaped a 127-120 win on Thursday night.

“I was just trying to keep it like another game, but I would have been lying to you if I said I was not aware of the record I had in this building from 2020 or 2021,” Irving said. “This is a more motivational factor for me than anything, because they are the best of the best. They are the champions in our league until another champion is crowned. You want to play the best of them against them. “

The best of Irving is not required for him so that Maverix can come out triumphantly on the night on Thursday on the night of prime time against the Celtic. He finished with 19 points, four assists and four thefts, but was supported by several of his teammates. Clai Thompson led all the goal scorers with 25 points, while Spencer Dinuidi scored 22 points from the bench. Naji Marshall had 20 of the bench. The other two Mavericks scored in double numbers.

According to TNT, he scored the first time in franchise history, Mavericks had three starters of 15 points and three reserves of 15 points in the same game. This was the first time Mavericks faced the Celtic without a recently traded Luca Doncic on the list that called for a strategy that could probably be forwarded.

Irving scored eight of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, including two of his three 3-cute. Irving’s first three -threesome Sam Hauser followed a crossover in a combination of discounts. As the ball went through the net, Irving clapped his hands and called “Come on!” This was one of the rare cases that Irring did not see a double team of Celtics defenders, which was a common strategy that led to his struggles during the finals last June.

“They will do their best to stop me,” Irving said. “I said it in the past, but I have the feeling that they feel that they know my game well enough. They throw double teams to me and many different readings. It only makes me better. I’m just grateful. This is about competitive basketball. “

Irving is expected to receive a lot of defensive attention now, when Doncic is no longer in the team, but he may have another All-Nba player in Anthony Davis, his new co-star. Davis could have debuts on Mavericks immediately after Saturday afternoon at home against Houston.

“We’ll play through it,” Irving said. “I will obviously have the ball in my hands as well, but we have this threat after UP. AD is able to reach the middle range and will cover up for many of our mistakes and will lower the pressure from both of us.

“I’m excited. I saw many double teams in this trip and I was excited for one of my other teammates, Doiri Klyi was a double-act tonight. Don’t take the wrong way, but I was excited to see him double. It just makes the game much easier. “

Irving has extended his first victory in TD Garden for nearly four years, looking for the hands of every member of the Mavericks traveling party when he enters the visitor’s dressing room.

He will now try to galvanize his troops for what may be a violent home return to the first Mavericks game at the American Airlines Center, as Doncic was traded.

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