Kyrie Irving powers Boston Celtics to another win over NBA London opponents Philadelphia 76ers
Celtics secured their second win over 76ers this season before the two teams meet in London on January 11
KYRIE IRVING's monster 36-point night guided Boston to victory against their London opponents Philadelphia for the second time this season.
The 25-year-old point guard racked up his fifth 30-point haul this season in a 108-97 win for the Celtics at TD Garden on Thursday night.
Boston coach Brad Stevens said: "We say all the time how spoilt we are to coach players at this level and he's certainly one of the most gifted scorers in the game.
"He can do things just with a tiny amount of space and make it look easy when it's really, really tough. He has a special ability."
Al Horford scored 21 points while Marcus Morris added 17 as Boston improved to 19-4 this season.
Boston led for the majority of the game but fell one point behind in the third quarter to a 76ers side missing their resting star centre Joel Embiid.
The Celtics outscored their opponents 32-26 in the fourth quarter to run away with a comfortable victory.
The two teams will meet again at the O2 Arena on January 11 in the eighth NBA regular-season game to be played in London.
Stevens said: "When we went over to Madrid and Milan a few years ago we were blown away by all the Celtics jerseys. This is a pretty darn popular brand.
"The time change to London is pretty dramatic for a couple days but one thing I think we do a pretty good job of is using science to figure out how to adjust appropriately.
"We have a great deal of respect for Philly and Brett Brown, the way they play and how good they are."
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Dario Saric top scored for the 76ers with 18 points while young guard Ben Simmons was held to 15 as Philly fell to 12-9.
It was Boston’s second win over Philadelphia this season after their 102-92 victory at Wells Fargo Center on October 20.
That was the first victory for the Celtics on their 16-game winning streak that catapulted them to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.