Kyrie Irving looked up to the Jumbotron and saw a picture of himself with a congratulatory message: “Congrats Kyrie! 18,000 career points.” It was seconds before the third quarter began, but Irving smiled and crossed his fingers.

“I wish they would respect [Kyrie Irving] and give him a couple more calls under the basket. He’s a great finisher around the rim but he’s gonna end up getting hurt because of how many guys put him on the floor,” Gafford stated.