NBA Top Five Performances, April 5: Kyrie Irving Ended Dallas Mavericks’ Three-Game Losing Streak With 31 Points Vs Kings

TOP PLAYERS OF THE DAY:

With the postseason inching closer, it’s now or never for the Dallas Mavericks and their playoff aspirations. Kyrie Irving seemed to get the memo, putting up 31 points to give Dallas a crucial victory against the Sacramento Kings. Irving’s 19-point fourth quarter helped the Mavericks put the game out of reach late. Irving accounted for all the team’s scoring in that period outside of forward Christian Wood. Dallas has been underwhelming since the Irving trade but still has a chance to make noise come playoff time.

“At this point in the season, it is what it is in terms of the reality of the standings,” Irving said. “We just gotta take it one at a time…I try my best to stay focused and attack the goal at hand.”

OTHERS:

- Immanuel Quickley’s 39 points, nine assists and six rebounds elevated the New York Knicks against the Indiana Pacers. He was one point shy of his career high in scoring, doing so without Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Jalen Brunson.

- Malcolm Brogdon had 29 points off the Boston Celtics’ bench to help them defeat the Toronto Raptors.

- Bobby Portis had 27 points and 13 rebounds in the Bucks’ win over the Chicago Bulls to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. In the absences of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, Portis logged his 38th double-double of the season.

- Norman Powell’s 27 points extended the Los Angeles Clippers’ win streak against the Lakers to 11 games. The Clippers’ win aided them in their goal of avoiding the play-in tournament.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.