Irving shines as Mavs roll Thunder, Nuggets scorch Heat

Kyrie Irving scored 25 points as the Dallas Mavericks brought the high-flying Oklahoma City Thunder down to earth with a 106-98 victory over the Western Conference leaders on Friday.

Oklahoma City, riding high after their ousting of Eastern Conference pacesetters Cleveland on Thursday, suffered just their seventh loss of the season in a roller-coaster duel against a fired Mavericks.

Irving was at the heart of the Mavs victory, rattling in 17 points in a 41-point second quarter that allowed Dallas to open up a 64-43 halftime lead.

The Thunder, who were missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a wrist injury, roared back to tie the game in the third quarter before building a single-digit lead.

But the Mavs, still without the injured Luka Doncic, regrouped superbly to close out the victory, outscoring the Thunder 29-22 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

Dallas improved to 23-19, while Oklahoma City remains atop the West with a 34-7 record.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd hailed his team’s resilience in securing the victory after watching a 20-point lead slip away in the third quarter.

“We were flat in the third quarter,” Kidd said. “We said on the bench to stay the course and stay together, and we did in the fourth quarter.

“We feel like we have a talented team and they have a talented team. So I thought tonight was a really good test for our group.”

– Miami loses on Butler’s return –

Elsewhere on Friday, Jimmy Butler returned to Miami after serving a seven-game internal suspension, but he was powerless to prevent the Heat from falling to a 133-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic had his 17th triple-double of the season and finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a comfortable victory for the 2023 NBA champions.

Jamal Murray led Denver scoring with 30 points on a night where seven Nuggets players finished in double figures.

Butler, who was suspended by Miami after indicating he wanted to leave the club earlier this month, finished with 18 points.

In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 30 points as the NBA champion Celtics pulled off their heaviest loss of the season to outclass the Orlando Magic 121-94.

Boston, dominated 110-97 by lowly Toronto on the road on Wednesday, showed no signs of a hangover to complete a comfortable home win at TD Garden.

Orlando took a brief lead early in the first quarter, but when Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown found their range, the score was never in doubt.

Tatum’s 30-point haul came on 12-of-21 shooting with four three-pointers, six rebounds and four assists.

Porzingis finished with 23 points and Brown added 20, including a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line.

Boston improved to 29-12 with the win to remain in second place in the Eastern Conference behind leader Cleveland.

Orlando’s scoring was led by Cole Anthony with 23 points, while Paolo Banchero continued his return from injury with 21 points.

In New York, meanwhile, Anthony Edwards erupted for 36 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves rolled to a 116-99 victory over the Knicks.

Edwards was on fire from beyond the arc, making 8-of-13 three-pointers, while Naz Reid also caught the eye with 6-of-6 threes in a 23-point cameo shift off the bench.

In Milwaukee, the Bucks handed Toronto a reality check after their upset of Boston on Wednesday, with a 130-112 blowout at Fiserv Forum.

Milwaukee swept to their third straight win thanks to 35 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo and 26 points from Damian Lillard. The Bucks improved to 23-17 with the win and remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

In San Antonio, Santi Aldama scored 29 off the bench as the Memphis Grizzlies overwhelmed Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs 140-112.

Spurs star Wembanyama turned in another big defensive performance with six blocks and a steal to go with 12 rebounds. But the Grizzlies’ balanced offense proved too strong for the home team, with six players finishing in double figures.

rcw/sco