NEW York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson dunks during the first half of an NBA game against the Boston Celtics on Friday at the Madison Square Garden in New York. AP
NEW YORK— Kyrie Irving had 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists before a Madison Square Garden crowd eager to start the National Basketball Association free agent wooing five months early and the Boston Celtics beat New York, 113-99, on Friday night in the Knicks’ first game since trading Kristaps Porzingis.
The trade to Dallas gave the Knicks money to chase two top free agents this summer and fans showed Irving that they want him to be one of them, cheering him before and during his return from a two-game absence with a hip injury.
Marcus Morris added 18 points for the Celtics, who won for the eighth time in nine games.
Damyean Dotson scored 22 points and Kevin Knox had 21 for the Knicks, who dropped their 12th straight.
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Other Friday matches saw Charlotte drub Memphis, 100-92; Boston smother New York, 113-99; Oklahoma City jolt Miami, 118-102; Utah scuttle Atlanta, 128-112 and Denver crush Houston, 136-122.
Irving is one of the headline names in the 2019 free agent class, and though he said at a Celtics fan event last fall that he intended to re-sign in Boston, that may be no guarantee. He told reporters at the morning shootaround to “Ask me July 1” if his plans had changed.
Irving got a loud ovation when starting lineups were announced and again when he touched the ball early in the game. A brief “We want Kyrie! We want Kyrie!” chant echoed through the arena in the third quarter.
In Denver, Nikola Jokic had 31 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, Malik Beasley had a career-high 35 points and Denver defeated Houston.
The Rockets’ James Harden scored 30 points to extend his streak to 25 games of scoring 30 or more points. He needed a late 3-pointer to keep the streak alive, and it came well after the game was in hand for Denver.
The Nuggets couldn’t stop Harden, but they ended a nine-game losing streak against Houston.
Torrey Craig had a career-high 22 points for the Rockets, who scored 43 points in the first quarter. Kenneth Faried scored a season-high 23 points against his former team.
In Charlotte, Kemba Walker scored 23 points, Marvin Williams hit two key 3-pointers and Bismack Biyombo swatted away a pair of late shots, leading Charlotte past depleted Memphis.
