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.

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.

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

Irving was absent for the most recent Mavericks game, also against the Nuggets, which the Denver side won 112-101. In that tie, he was hugely missed, with the output for his side clearly suffering from his absence: Dallas are 2-3 across their last five games in the NBA without Irving and 3-6 overall without him.

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

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

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

T he short handed Dallas Mavericks (23-19) bested the short handed Oklahoma City Thunder (34-7) 106-98 in an intense matchup Friday night in Dallas. Kyrie Irving led all Mavericks

Kyrie Irving finished the win with 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal while shooting 9/19 from the field and 3/8 from the three-point range in 39 mintues of playing time. The superstar guard also made NBA history by moving ahead of Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant (1,