Few visiting players can stir up TD Garden quite like Kyrie Irving. On Sunday night, Boston Celtics fans won’t get another opportunity to let their former point guard hear it.
Irving was ruled out of the Dallas Mavericks‘ matchup against Boston after being downgraded from questionable on the NBA’s 4:15 p.m. Eastern injury report.
The nine-time All-Star will sit because of left knee injury management, denying Boston fans another meeting with a player whose departure still evokes strong reactions.
Dallas also ruled out Max Christie because of a sprained left ankle.
The decision comes less than 24 hours after Irving scored 34 points in the Mavericks’ 127-117 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Irving played 37 minutes Saturday, making seven 3-pointers and scoring 20 points in the third quarter.
But he won’t have an opportunity to build on that performance against his former team.
Kyrie Irving Misses Another Celtics Homecoming
Irving’s relationship with Boston has remained complicated since he left the Celtics for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
He arrived in Boston in 2017 following a trade from Cleveland, bringing championship experience and expectations that he could help lead the franchise back to the NBA Finals.
Instead, his two seasons ended without a championship, and his departure in free agency left lingering resentment among Celtics fans.
Subsequent visits only intensified those feelings.
During Brooklyn’s 2021 playoff series against Boston, Irving stepped on the Celtics’ midcourt logo following a victory at TD Garden.
The following year, he exchanged gestures with fans during another contentious playoff meeting.
Irving returned to Boston with Dallas during the 2024 NBA Finals, when the Celtics defeated the Mavericks in five games to claim their 18th championship.
Throughout those encounters, the crowd’s hostility became part of the atmosphere.
Sunday offered another chance to revisit that history.
Instead, Irving will watch as Dallas attempts to challenge one of the NBA’s hottest teams without its veteran point guard.
Celtics Face Cooper Flagg-Led Mavericks Without Irving
Boston enters Sunday’s matchup riding a five-game winning streak and holding a 10-2 record.
The Celtics have won nine of their last 10 games and remain unbeaten at TD Garden this season.
Their latest victory came Wednesday against Toronto, when they rallied from a 22-point deficit to beat the Raptors 98-93.
With Irving unavailable, Dallas figures to lean more heavily on Cooper Flagg.
The Maine native has emerged as the Mavericks’ leading scorer in his second NBA season, averaging more than 24 points per game.
His return to New England provides another compelling storyline, even without Irving’s presence.
Dallas will also be missing Christie for the second consecutive game, further reducing its perimeter depth.
Boston, meanwhile, has benefited from improved interior play from Neemias Queta, whose emergence has helped strengthen the Celtics’ defense.
The matchup presents a chance for Joe Mazzulla’s team to extend its winning streak against a shorthanded opponent playing on consecutive nights.
For Celtics fans, however, one familiar subplot is missing.
Irving has experienced nearly every kind of reception at TD Garden since leaving Boston.
This time, the boos will have to wait.
Celtics Get Unexpected Kyrie Irving News Ahead of Boston Homecoming