Kyrie Irving led the Boston Celtics to a famous victory on Friday night against their Atlantic division rivals, the Toronto Raptors. The 26-year-old had a night to remember as his heroics actually matched a long-standing record set by Celtics great Larry Bird almost three decades ago.
Irving was out of his mind on Friday and had one of his best showings in a Celtics uniform to date. The five-time All-Star dropped a season-high 43 points (18-26 FG, 4-6 FT) along with two rebounds, 11 assists, three steals, one block, and three turnovers in 39 minutes of play. It turned out to be a historic performance as the former Rookie of the Year etched his name into the franchise history books alongside one of the greatest to have ever dawned the Celtics green.
Kyrie Irving is the first @celtics player with at least 40 points and 10 assists in a home game since Larry Bird on Mar. 15, 1992. #CUsRise
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) November 17, 2018
With the C's down four points entering the fourth and final frame, Irving absolutely took over the ballgame. The 6-foot-3 point guard dropped 19 points in the fourth quarter alone to force the game into overtime. In the extra period, the Celtics defense showed its teeth, holding Kawhi Leonard and co. to just nine points, en route to an important 123-116 statement win.
After an injury-plagues debut season with the Celtics, a healthy Irving is now looking to lead his team to the pinnacle of the league. He was off to a relatively slow start this season, but has since turned it on of late.
Irving will look to build on the momentum off his strong play as his squad will host the Utah Jazz on Saturday in a second night of a back-to-back set.
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