In their win over the Toronto Raptors, Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics either scored or assisted his team's final 25 points.
Per ESPN, Irving finished with 27 points, a career-high 18 assists, and five rebounds in their 108-117 victory over the Raptors.
Kyrie scored or assisted on the Celtics’ final 25 points of the game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/u1ED0As92E
— ESPN (@espn) January 17, 2019
Irving's efforts were critical in the game's final minutes as both teams were trading bucket after bucket. Kawhi Leonard had no intention of letting his team down and scored several baskets including an and-one over two Celtics defenders.
But at the 1:39-mark, Irving unleashed a 3-pointer over Leonard which put them up 111-106. The shot proved to be the dagger as the Raptors, despite calling several timeouts, couldn't answer back. Irving, meanwhile, continued setting up plays for his teammates for easy buckets.
More than snapping a three-game skid, it was a morale-booster victory for the Celtics. This week was not a particularly smooth week for Irving and his teammates. This was after the one-time champion called out his teammates for not knowing what it takes to be an elite team in the NBA. Though his teammates understood where he was coming from, several fans and critics took it the wrong way. Some even went to hypothesize that Irving may be on his way out of Boston.
But just like he said after the game, it seems that a win cures all the drama. Perhaps this victory could spark something within the Celtics squad which might turn them into a championship contender that they aspire to be.
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