Myre praises Kyrie after Christmas duel: ‘Greatest point guard’

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards had high praise for Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving after their back-and-forth battle on Christmas Day.

“Kyrie, to me, he’s the best point guard,” Edwards said ESPN’s Jorge Sedano postgame. “Every time he goes, it’s hard to stop him. We got a couple of big stops down the stretch and we got some buckets, so that helped us.”

Irving poured in 39 points in 37 minutes as the Mavericks staged a furious fourth-quarter rally before eventually losing 105-99. Mavericks star Luka Doncic was forced to leave the game in the first half after straining his left calf.

“He knows he’s my favorite point guard of all time,” Edwards said of a postgame chat with Irving. “It’s always a battle. Last year in the playoffs we battled … I love going against him. I love the isos. I love the matchup.”

Edwards scored 26 points, including a key layup with 18 seconds left that extended Minnesota’s lead to four points. The Timberwolves improved to 15-14 on the season with the win.