(The Sports Xchange) – A masked Kyrie Irving scored 25 points as the Boston Celtics ran their winning streak to 13 games with a 109-102 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Irving was considered questionable for the game after taking an inadvertent elbow from team mate Aron Baynes 1:50 into Friday’s game against Charlotte.
He missed Boston’s 12th straight win on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors but returned with a protective mask over his face, shot 8-of-20 in 29 minutes and helped Boston finish off its latest win.
Marcus Morris added 21 points 10 rebounds while Al Horford bagged 17 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
Rookie Jayson Tatum added 19 points and Jaylen Brown chipped in 14 for the Celtics, who are on their first 13-game winning streak since winning 14 straight from Nov. 22 to Dec. 22, 2010.
Reserve Joe Harris led the Nets with 19 points while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 16.
Raptors 129, Rockets 113
DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 27 points as Toronto ended Houston’s six-game winning streak.
Kyle Lowry and C.J. Miles scored 19 points apiece for Toronto, with the latter drilling 6-of-9 three-pointers off the bench.
Houston sliced a 20-point deficit 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 and 11 assists.
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.
The Spurs, still playing without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, took a 34-31 lead with about eight minutes to go in the second quarter and managed to hold on the rest of the way. The Spurs have won five of their past six games.
The Mavs, who dropped to 2-13, shot below 35 percent for most of the game and finished just 10-of-34 from beyond the three-point arc.
Rookie Dennis Smith Jr led Dallas with 27 points.
