Kyrie Irving was traded away a year ago, but he's never fully left New York. Not when he grew up in the area as a Nets fan, and not when so many family and friends were in attendance when he came back Tuesday night. Irving scored 36 points, leading the Mavericks to a 119-107 victory and then spending time signing autographs and greeting his old fans in the stands.
Jamal Murray's strained hamstring is on the mend. The Denver guard finished with 22 points, going 4 for 4 from 3-point range, to help the Nuggets race past the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 130-104 on Monday night. Aaron Gordon tied a season high with 21 points, while Nikola Jokic added eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a game where the Nuggets starters got the fourth quarter off.
The Los Angeles Lakers won it all in 2020 and had to jump through a lot of hoops to do so. The team did it all in the honor of the late great Kobe Bryant.