Celtics' Kyrie Irving toys with Rockets defense with sick handles

Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Kyrie Irving continued his hot streak with some unparalleled dribble moves during the Boston Celtics' loss to the Houston Rockets.

Irving put together one of his most impressive combinations late in the third quarter of the Celtics' 127-113 loss on Thursday at the Toyota Center in Houston.

The Celtics' star guard picked up the ball after Daniel Theis collected a Rockets turnover. Irving dribbled from under his own rim and went coast-to-coast during the possession.

He blew by Austin Rivers before splitting P.J. Tucker and Clint Capela with a quick bounce on one hand. Capela dropped back to cut off Irving's route to the basket, but it didn't matter. "Uncle Drew" used his right hand to throw the ball behind his back on the bounce.

Irving then collected the ball with his left hand, but he still had to contend with the long 6-foot-10 center. He combatted Capela's size by throwing the ball high off of the backboard, clearing Capela's left arm. The ball bounced off of the glass and sank through the net, giving Boston a 77-76 lead with 4:22 remaining in the frame.

Irving scored a team-high 23 points and had 11 assists and five rebounds in the loss. Reigning NBA MVP James Harden poured in a game-high 45 points and had six assists for the Rockets.

The Celtics battle the Memphis Grizzlies at 8 p.m. on Saturday at FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. The Rockets take on the New Orleans Pelicans at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.