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 entered the night just three points shy of the threshold with 17,997 career points. After a pair of free throws, he maneuvered into the paint and connected on a midrange jumper at the 7:17 mark of the first quarter. He finished with 38 points despite another loss for the injury-riddled Mavericks.

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.

“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.

I was about to drop a tear,” Irving said about his reaction to reaching the 18,000 mark. “Just the past few years, the games that I’ve missed, and the injuries, I feel like I should

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.