Kyrie Irving has not been away for the Celtics for over five years now after leaving Boston in free agency in the summer of 2019, yet it’s evident he still keeps close tabs on his former teammates. The All-Star guard had long embraces with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown after Boston’s dominant 122-107 win Saturday night at American Airlines Arena.

When the Boston Celtics faced off against the Dallas Mavericks, an errant pass from Kyrie Irving accidentally hit a child in the crowd.

Irving is listed on the injury report as he continues to deal with a lumbar back sprain. Meanwhile, Dereck Lively II (right ankle sprain), Luka Doncic (left calf strain) and Dante Exum (right wrist surgery) are all out for Friday's game. It is worth noting that Mavs head coach Jason Kidd previously said he expects Irving to play on Friday.

As we mentioned earlier, Kai has already featured in the NBA All-Star game eight times in his career. While the Mavs guard is averaging 24.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, his inability to win games could dwindle his chances of making the 2025 NBA All-Star game.

“I wish they would respect [Kyrie Irving] and give him a couple more calls under the basket. He’s a great finisher around the rim but he’s gonna end up getting hurt because of how many guys put him on the floor,” Gafford stated.

Kyrie Irving looked up to the Jumbotron and saw a picture of himself with a congratulatory message: “Congrats Kyrie! 18,000 career points.” It was seconds before the third quarter began, but Irving smiled and crossed his fingers.