That decision forced the Thunder to stick close to the Mavericks' role players throughout the first quarter. Once Washington scored the first five points, Irving asserted himself and drained a 3-pointer before finishing at the basket with a finger roll to give the Mavericks an early 10-0 lead.

Kyrie Irving got brutally honest on the Mavericks' brewing rivalry with the Thunder after Friday night's game.

On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder by a score of 106-98 (at home). Kyrie Irving finished the win with 25 points, five rebound

Dallas improved to 23-19 while Oklahoma City remain top of the West with a 34-7 record. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Irving is listed on the injury report as he continues to deal with a lumbar back sprain. Meanwhile, Dereck Lively II (right ankle sprain), Luka Doncic (left calf strain) and Dante Exum (right wrist surgery) are all out for Friday's game. It is worth noting that Mavs head coach Jason Kidd previously said he expects Irving to play on Friday.

D allas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has missed the last five games due to a lumbar back strain. The eight-time NBA All-Star has appeared in 30 games this season, averaging 24.3 po

Following Tuesday's loss to the Denver Nuggets, Irving spoke in the Mavericks locker room about the injury and prognosis.

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday and Tuesday, sweeping the two-game mini series with their Western Conference rivals. Denver has now w

Kyrie Irving scored 25 points as the Dallas Mavericks brought the high-flying Oklahoma City Thunder down to earth with a 106-98 victory over the Western Conference leaders on Friday. Oklahoma City, riding high after their rout of Eastern Conference pace-setters Cleveland on Thursday,