Kyrie Irving made his first return to the Barclays Center on Tuesday night since being traded by the Brooklyn Nets, and he put on a show in helping the Dallas Mavericks to a 119-107 win.
The highlight of the net was this incredible alley-oop dunk early in the third quarter with the Mavericks already leading by 20 points.
Irving finished the game with a team-leading 36 points. He shot 15-of-24 from the floor, including 6-of-10 from three-point range. He also had five assists.
The Nets traded Irving to Dallas exactly one year ago following a tumultuous — and wildly disappointing — three-and-a-half year run with the team.
Irving was greeted with a smattering of boos by the Barclays Center crowd on Tuesday and did not get a tribute video from the Nets. That came after Kevin Durant, Irving’s former teammate in Brooklyn, did get a tribute video in his return as a member of the Phoenix Suns.
Irving’s 36 points was his fourth-highest scoring total of the season.
