Spurs Beat Celtics 105-102 Despite Kyrie Irving's 36 Points

With Kawhi Leonard's return looming, the San Antonio Spurs got a statement win with a 105-102 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday at the AT&T Center. 

Manu Ginobili played the hero by hitting the go-ahead three-pointer with five seconds remaining and the score tied. Kyrie Irving, who finished with a game-high 36 points, had a chance to tie the contest at the buzzer, but his attempt behind the arc went in and out to preserve San Antonio's win. 

The NBA shared the game-winner via Twitter:

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Ginobili has been no stranger to late-game heroics throughout his nearly 16-year NBA career:

The Celtics stormed out of the gate by scoring the first 11 points and appeared as if they were going to cruise to their fifth straight win. It didn't take long for the Spurs to turn things around, though, and they took their first lead at the end of the first half. 

Four of San Antonio's five starters scored in double figures, led by LaMarcus Aldridge's double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Spurs missed their first eight field-goal attempts during Boston's 11-0 run to start the game before Patty Mills hit a jumper nearly five minutes into the first quarter. 

This fast start was a microcosm of everything Boston has done so well en route to a 22-5 start this season. The offense is capable of putting up big numbers despite entering Friday ranked 17th in points per game (104.5). They scored 111 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. 

Prior to that game against the Bucks, though, head coach Brad Stevens noted he wasn't pleased with the defense. 

"We've got some loose ends to tie up," he told reporters. 

That was clear against the Spurs, who shook off that slow start by hitting 20 of their final 34 shots in the first half. They went into the break with a 56-55 lead thanks to this three-pointer from Ginobili at the buzzer:

The Spurs used a balanced offensive attack to keep the game close early and later take the lead. By the end of the contest, nine players had made at least one basket, and five had scored in double figures.

The Ringer's Shea Serrano offered this take on Aldridge:

Aldridge and Irving had a terrific game of one-upmanship. Irving remained red-hot and had his fifth straight game in which he hit at least 50 percent of his field-goal attempts. 

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich praised Irving during his halftime interview on ESPN. 

"He's tremendously hard to guard, one of the best players in the league," he said (via Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News). "Gets to the rim, shoots threes. He does everything, passes the ball. He's a fantastic player, one of the best in the league."

The Spurs couldn't figure out how to slow down Irving, and eventually, the Celtics were able to piece things back together late in the third quarter. Jaylen Brown delivered a huge putback dunk that gave them a 78-73 advantage:

Once again showing their resolve, the Spurs didn't panic when it appeared as if momentum were starting to swing. They opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to take a two-point lead. 

Like two heavyweight fighters at the height of their powers, the Celtics and Spurs saved their best for last.

There was a 30-second sequence with two lead changes and one tie late in the fourth quarter, highlighted by Irving's three-pointer to put up the Celtics 102-100 before Aldridge answered with a jumper. 

Orsborn noted that Irving is the first player this season to score at least 30 points in a game against the Spurs. 

Per Paul Garcia of Project Spurs, San Antonio did something no other Western Conference team has done this season:

The loss did knock the Celtics off their perch as the NBA's best team—the 19-4 Houston Rockets now own the league's best winning percentage (.826)—though their 22-5 record is not a reason to start panicking. 

Meanwhile, the Spurs have managed an 18-8 start even though Leonard hasn't played since Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors on May 14. 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Michael C. Wright reported the Spurs are targeting Tuesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center for Leonard's 2017-18 debut.

Considering San Antonio is five games over .500 and ranks fourth in defensive efficiency (102.9 points allowed per 100 possessions) without a player who finished third in 2016-17 NBA MVP voting, the rest of the league should be on high alert. 

The Spurs' win over the Celtics was just the tip of the iceberg of what they could accomplish with their full roster available.