NBA: Kyrie Irving dons a mask to propel Boston Celtics to 13th win on the spin, Toronto Raptors put the skids on Houston Rockets' hot streak

Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving (centre) drives to the basket as Brooklyn Nets' Spencer Dinwiddie (left) and Allen Crabbe (right) look on during the game between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Nov 14, 2017. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

(THE SPORTS XCHANGE) - A masked Kyrie Irving scored 25 points as the Boston Celtics ran their winning streak to 13 games with a 109-102 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday (Nov 14).

Irving was considered questionable for the game after taking an inadvertent elbow from team mate Aron Baynes 1min 50sec into Friday's (Nov 10) game against the Charlotte Hornets.

He missed Boston's 12th straight win on Sunday (Nov 12) against the Toronto Raptors but returned with a protective mask over his face, shot eight-of-20 in 29 minutes and helped Boston finish off its latest win.

Marcus Morris added 21 points 10 rebounds while Al Horford bagged 17 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

Rookie Jayson Tatum added 19 points and Jaylen Brown chipped in 14 for the Celtics, who are on their first 13-game winning streak since winning 14 straight from Nov 22 to Dec 22, 2010.

Reserve Joe Harris led the Nets with 19 points while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 16.

DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 27 points as the Toronto Raptors ended Houston Rockets' six-game winning streak with a 129-113 win.

Kyle Lowry and C.J. Miles scored 19 points apiece for Toronto, with the latter drilling six-of-nine three-pointers off the bench.

Houston sliced a 20-point deficit to 108-103 midway through the fourth quarter but followed with a string of turnovers that fuelled another Raptors run to a double-digit lead.

James Harden paced Houston with 38 points and 11 assists.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 32 points and Patty Mills also hit a season-high 19 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the Dallas Mavericks 97-91.

The Spurs, still playing without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, took a 34-31 lead with about eight minutes to go in the second quarter and managed to hold on the rest of the way.

The Spurs have won five of their past six games.

The Mavs, who dropped to 2-13, shot below 35 per cent for most of the game and finished just 10-of-34 from beyond the three-point arc.

Rookie Dennis Smith Jr led Dallas with 27 points.

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