Kyrie Irving Extends Free-Throw Streak To 55, Matches Charles Barkley And Larry Bird In Dallas Mavericks’ Win
DALLAS — Kyrie Irving made all 6 of his free throws in the Dallas Mavericks’ 116-111 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night, which extended his career-best streak to 55 in a row. No active NBA player has a longer run.
Irving finished with 35 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists on 12-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Dallas handed Houston its first loss of the season and improved to 4-2.
Kyrie Irving Runs Free-Throw Streak To 55
Irving’s previous best was 49 straight makes, a run that went from March 15 to April 20, 2021. On Friday, he was one of three Mavericks who went 7-of-7 at the line over the final 11.3 seconds, along with Daniel Gafford and Cooper Flagg.
In the fourth quarter, Irving scored 10 of Dallas’ first 17 points. His 28-foot pull-up with 7:01 left put the Mavericks ahead 91-88, their first lead since the second quarter. After Houston tied it at 100, his 17-foot pull-up off a Flagg pass gave Dallas the lead for good with 2:08 remaining.
Irving went 5-of-9 from the field in the fourth, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, and made all 4 of his free throws in the period. Mavericks coach Dusty May described the approach Dallas took with him down the stretch.
“That’s it. Don’t overcomplicate it,” May said. “Just get the right matchup on him and let him go to work. And like I said, when he’s playing that efficiently, shooting the ball and he’s finding his teammates and those are leading to hockey assists or regular assists, it’s just … don’t overcomplicate it.”
Irving Matches Charles Barkley, Larry Bird
The 35-point game was the 89th of Irving’s career, tying Charles Barkley for 41st on the NBA’s all-time list. It also moved him past DeMar DeRozan, who has 88.
Irving shot at least 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range, and 90% at the free-throw line while scoring 30 or more. He has done that 81 times, matching Larry Bird for the eighth-most such games in league history.
Irving is a nine-time All-Star and won a championship with Cleveland in 2016. Friday was his fifth game since returning from the torn ACL in his left knee, and May spoke about him after the win.
“If you just saw how much he puts into this game, and that factored in to being on a young team and bringing it every day and helping the group find solutions to problems, and do it in the manner in which he does it is, I mean, it’s incredible,” May said. “That’s why his stat line, 35, 9, and 4, that looks great and it’s obviously impressive, but his leadership and his grace with his teammates [is] even more impressive to me.”
The Mavericks host the Sacramento Kings on Monday at 7 p.m. CT. Their next NBA Cup game is Nov. 6 at home against the Utah Jazz.
