Kyrie Irving Kept The Celtics' Streak Alive

The Celtics’ stretch of early-season dominance looked like it might’ve finally met its end tonight, with Boston losing to the Mavericks by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter. And then Kyrie Irving scored 10 of his 47 points in overtime, and the Celtics got their 16th win in a row. With a season-best night from Irving, plus double-digit points and a team-best eight assists off the bench from Marcus Smart, the 110-102 victory allowed Boston to tie the fourth-longest streak in team history.

Irving’s point total alone was eye-popping, sure, but what’s more remarkable than how many he scored is just how efficiently he did it. He didn’t even need 25 shots tonight: going 16-of-22 in all, and 5-of-7 from three. He scored the Celtics’ first six points in overtime—equal to the Mavericks’ collective total for all of OT. This was the third straight game where Boston has needed to come from behind, yet there’s still not much here to suggest anything meaningful in the way of weaknesses. They’re cruising, and right now, there’s nothing in their way.