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Kyrie Irving overcomes facial fracture to achieve 13th consecutive NBA victory with Boston Celtics

Irving was forced to wear a protective mask after suffering the injury on Friday.

MASKED MAN KYRIE Irving scored 25 points to lead the Boston Celtics to their 13th consecutive NBA victory on Tuesday with a 109-102 triumph in Brooklyn.

The Celtics, whose 13-2 record is the NBA’s best, are on their longest win streak since winning 14 in a row in November and December of 2010, with the team record of 19 consecutive wins coming in November and December of 2008.

Irving suffered a facial fracture Friday in Boston’s 90-87 victory over Charlotte when Australian teammate Aron Baynes elbowed him accidentally. That forced the 25-year-old guard to miss Sunday’s 95-94 victory over Toronto.

A plastic protective mask allowed Irving onto the court against the Nets and he responded by hitting 8-of-20 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line as all five Boston starters scored in double figures

“It’s a piece of plastic on your face,” Irving said. “It’s the difference in having something over your face. It’s almost like having somewhat foggy blinders on.

“When I take off the mask, I can see everything. When I have the mask on, I’m really dialed into what’s in front of me, my peripherals are a little cut off, but it’s just something you get you used to.”

Irving, who joined the Celtics in an off-season trade with Cleveland, wore a mask for 19 games with the Cavaliers in the 2012-13 season.

“Just wearing a mask for precautionary reasons,” Irving said. “Hopefully, it’ll get better in the next few weeks.”

When Tuesday’s game was over, Irving pulled the mask of his face and saluted Boston fans who were chanting “M-V-P, M-V-P,” — for Most Valuable Player — at him.

“I don’t worry about him getting a rhythm too much,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “He’ll find that and obviously he made huge plays late in the game again.”

Marcus Morris added 21 points and 10 rebounds while Al Horford contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds for Boston and called Irving’s return “great” for the Celtics.

“Just finding his way and doing what he does, making big plays for us, coming through and sealing the game,” Horford said.

The Celtics have not lost since dropping their home opener to Milwaukee on October 18, a night after Gordon Hayward was lost for the season with a horrendous knee injury in an opening-night loss at Cleveland.

At Houston, Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points to lead six Raptors in double figures as the Canadian club downed the host Rockets 129-113, snapping Houston’s six-game win streak.

Kyle Lowry and C.J. Miles scored 19 points each for Toronto, Miles coming off the bench to sink 6-of-9 shots from 3-point range.

James Harden led Houston (11-4) with 38 points and 11 assists, going 19-of-19 from the free throw line.

At Dallas, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 32 points and Australian guard Patty Mills added 19 to spark the San Antonio Spurs over the Dallas Mavericks 97-91.

The Spurs, still playing without star French guard Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard, improved to 9-5. The Mavericks fell to 2-13.

© AFP 2017

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    Mute Jim Demps
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    Feb 18th 2018, 11:57 AM

    There was bound to be a blip or two somewhere in the season. Some of the players from yesterday need to have a good look at themselves. Not the end of the world though. We are still in a good place considering the mid season change of coach.

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    Mute Scott Crossfield
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    Feb 18th 2018, 7:37 PM

    @Jim Demps: 9 wins and 6 defeats isn’t exactly glittering form. Running into a pivotal part of the league with some tough fixtures coming, good thing is the results of other teams in pool A means even the worst implosion will still see Munster get a playoff birth. But which is better Edinburgh/Ulster at Home and Leinster/Scarlett’s away semi or finish 3rd get away to Leinster/Scarlett’s and away to Glasgow semi.

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    Mute Jim Demps
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    Feb 18th 2018, 8:24 PM

    @Scott Crossfield: not glittering but it’ll do. Doesn’t matter who we play in the knockouts, we are capable of beating all of them.

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    Mute Scott Crossfield
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    Feb 18th 2018, 9:25 PM

    @Jim Demps: when full sides in action Munster need second place as they will not beat Scarlets and possibly. It Leinster away yet alone away semi. But ah sure we can beat anyone aside the next few weeks will show where they’re at and ways needed

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    Gary
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    Mute Gary
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:24 PM

    The heading should be “best team in conference A”. They are top of conference A. Leinster are top of conference B and Llanelli are the reigning champions.

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    Mute Hardly Normal
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:34 PM

    @Gary: it was Johann who said it not the author, take off your blue tinted glasses he’s not wrong..

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    Mute Conor Alexander Lynott
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:36 PM

    @Gary: Well considering that Glasgow have amassed more points than any otherPro14 team in either conference this season (65 points), having won 13 out of 15 games, they are statistically the best team of the Pro14 on form.

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    Gary
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    Mute Gary
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:44 PM

    @Hardly Normal: So saying Llanelli are reigning champions and saying Leinster are top of conference B means I’ve blue tinted glasses? OKayyyyy. So stating facts is wrong then. Hmm.

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    Mute Jim Demps
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:45 PM

    @Gary: he’s not wrong. Glasgow have the most points out of both conferences.

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    Mute Marcodub
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:51 PM

    @Gary: spot on Gary

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    Mute Kingshu
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    Feb 18th 2018, 1:09 PM

    @Gary: Llanelli play in the Welsh Premiership and are not even the reigning champions, Merthyr RFC are. Think you mean the Scarlets?

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    Mute Hardly Normal
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    Feb 18th 2018, 1:23 PM

    @Martin Quinn: Haha , I should change that , I’m in league country now, (new south wales). About the pools , I’d have thought they were fairly even to be honest, can’t see much between the two.

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    Mute Bob Joe
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    Feb 18th 2018, 1:44 PM

    @Conor Alexander Lynott: well seeing that Glasgow are out of Europe they are not the best team but they do have the most points

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    Mute Conor Alexander Lynott
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    Feb 18th 2018, 2:04 PM

    @Bob Joe: This article refers to the best team in the Pro14, not Europe. Europe and Pro14 are different worlds intensity-wise. Stay on topic, fella.

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    Mute Chris Tobin
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:44 PM

    Here we go again.” Keatley is useless” brigade are back. The same people who were praising him a few weeks ago. My oh my how fickle the keyboard warriors are

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    Mute Daniel Casey
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    Feb 18th 2018, 4:32 PM

    @Chris Tobin: I’ve been saying from the start of the season that he’s improved a lot but he still makes poor decisions in the opposition 22 and is good for an error or two in a game! Was terrible yesterday but in fairness going on form this season that’s out of the ordinary for him. Shouldn’t be in the 6 Nations squad. Byrne at Leinster offers more and Carbury could be a world beater if he was getting game time at 10!

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Feb 19th 2018, 8:51 AM

    @Chris Tobin: There’s been so many seasons of it… in all that time nothing much has changed. He’s a great player on his day, in terms of winning the Pro 14, maybe, winning Europe, maybe not, (Munsters’ heart has always been firmly set on Europe). It’s a professional game and even when it wasn’t the pre-internet chatter has always been super critical, those who are involved know it. Add todays ‘chatroom factor’ and honestly it could be a whole lot worse.

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    Mute Peter Brophy
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:22 PM

    They all seemed asleep. I remember Rhys Marshall standing by a ruck with his hands on his hips when he should have been blocking and that was quickly followed by a try

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    Mute Marcodub
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:50 PM

    @Peter Brophy: should hammer Glasgow as most of their team in Scotland squad

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    Mute Tommy Greene
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    Feb 18th 2018, 1:13 PM

    Pretty basic errors by the coaching staff who allowed some underperforming players remain on the pitch for too long . Allied to An inability to change tactics contributed to a very poor night -

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    Mute Garrett Mccolgan
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    Feb 18th 2018, 2:24 PM

    Why are Munster turning their attention to Leinster when they are playing Glasgow next?

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    Mute Brian Valès
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    Feb 18th 2018, 3:56 PM

    Munster have no future with Keatley at 10. His performance in the first half was the worst I’ve seen at professional level in a very very long time. He simply killed the team.

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    Mute James Buckley
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    Feb 19th 2018, 11:14 PM

    @Brian Valès: Brian, I don’t where your loyalties lie but I doubt if you are a Munster supporter. Anyone watching Ian Keatley this season cannot but be impressed by how well he has played, but you know it only took one game for the knives to come out. I do not see anyone looking for Carbery’s head in the his 10 minute malfunction against Italy or the defence weaknesses by his colleagues. God help us against Wales if we have George North running against some our new apprentices.

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    Mute David OfBrien
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:29 PM

    Keatley and Williams were terrible yesterday. Some of keatleys kicks were absolute rubbish.

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    Mute Chris Tobin
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:41 PM

    @David OfBrien: in fairness the whole team were dire on the night

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    Mute Marcodub
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    Feb 18th 2018, 12:52 PM

    @David OfBrien: and yet some folk think Keats should be backup to Sexton

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    Mute Chris Tobin
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    Feb 18th 2018, 2:09 PM

    @Marcodub: #keatleyhaters

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    Mute Wedger
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    Feb 19th 2018, 10:31 AM

    Yet another example of Munster not showing up for the first half of a game. We done it several times already this season, most notably Home and Away to Leinster. Can see no excuse for not being mentally ready for a game of rugby and to me it usually happens when a certain 4/5 players are selected together. Johann has said it now at least 3 times that these performances are not acceptable but yet they continue to happen. How many times does Duncan Williams need to have a kick blocked before he or a coach address the issue???? He is not good enough to back up Murray, never will be, play Hart or give young Poland a real chance.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Feb 19th 2018, 8:53 AM

    No leaders on the field, would have had Holland as captain.

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    Mute Padraic Courtney
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    Feb 19th 2018, 11:07 AM

    @thesaltyurchin: Holland needed a break, he’s played in almost every game in Europe and the Pro 14 so far this season.

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    Mute James Buckley
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    Feb 19th 2018, 10:58 PM

    The Cardiff Blues game was a total malfunction by the whole team on Saturday evening.
    Let no blame hang on any one individual, just suck it for what it was and get over it.If ever we needed a response , let us see it Friday night.

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    Mute Con Cussed
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    Feb 18th 2018, 10:59 PM

    The whole team were off. Can’t blame a few players only. We’ve seen some great plays from Keatley and Williams this season. Williams needs more consistency but he also needs players ready to provide support and watching the game.

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