Former Duke basketball standout Kyrie Irving is returning for the most anticipated matchup of the season.
There was very little chance that former Duke basketball standout Kyrie Irving was going to miss a battle with his former teammate LeBron James.
A possible NBA Finals preview tips off on Thursday night between the Los Angeles Lakers (22-7) and Brooklyn Nets (18-12) in the Staples Center. However, two of the best players on each team will not suit up, Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant (hamstring) and Los Angeles’ Anthony Davis (Achilles tendinosis, calf).
Irving starred for the Nets in the first two games of their West Coast road trip, posting 23 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 10-of-17 shooting in a win over the Golden State Warriors and 40 points on 9-of-11 shooting from three-point range against the Sacramento Kings.
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However, because of back tightness, the six-time All-Star missed the heroic comeback win against the Phoenix Suns, led by teammate James Harden.
Official word was announced from the Nets on Thursday afternoon that Irving would be available against the Lakers.
After the win over Golden State, the former Blue Devil announced that he would be moving to shooting guard and allowing Harden to play point guard, which has worked out for Brooklyn since the change with the team winning all three of its games.
Duke basketball star ready to face former teammate.
After winning the NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the relationship between Kyrie Irving and LeBron James has since gone south, specifically in comments both players have made to the media.
James and Irving are loving and cordial when on the court, but the Blue Devil always tries to best his former teammate, citing an attempt to get out of James’ shadow when leaving Cleveland for Boston.
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Kyrie Irving is averaging 28.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 53.4-percent shooting from the field and 44.2-percent from downtown.
Tipoff is scheduled for 10:00pm EST (TNT).