Kyrie 'Uncle Drew' Irving puts on skills clinic vs. Thunder

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Kyrie Irving was in his bag of tricks and showing off his handles in the Boston Celtics' win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"Uncle Drew" made defenders look silly several times in the 134-129 win on Sunday at TD Garden in Boston.

"I was just looking for the opportunity, getting downhill," Irving told ESPN. "They do a great job of using their lanes. I was just trying to get them in space and really stay aggressive."

One of his slick sequences came with 6:23 to go in the first quarter. Irving dribbled downt he right flank while surrounded by three defenders on the play. He dribbled in toward Thunder forward Jerami Grant at full speed before throwing the ball behind his back with his right hand.

Irving caught the dribble with his other hand before going under the rim and throwing a shot high off of the glass. The basket gave the Celtics a 16-9 advantage.

Thunder star Russell Westbrook picked up Irving later in the quarter, but it didn't matter for "Uncle Drew." Irving slid to his right while Westbrook was defender with 3:39 remaining in the opening frame. He momentarily halted his dribble as Thunder 7-footer Steven Adams slid in to defend.

Irving used a hesitation move to freeze Adams before darting around his left hip for an open lane to the rim.

"Uncle Drew" had 30 points and 11 assist to lead the Celtics. Paul George scored a game-high 37 points for the Thunder. Westbrook had another triple-double, scoring 22 points with 16 assists and 12 rebounds in the loss.

The Celtics victory snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Thunder.

Boston battles the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.