Irving was the star of the show once again for Boston in their 108-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers this evening.

He ended the night with 36 points of 12-for-21 shooting and also recorded four rebounds and three assists.

It was a close game for most of the match with Boston never holding more than a 10-point lead up until the fourth quarter.

And that’s where Irving took over as he played a part in 15 of their 32 points in the closing stretch.

It is the fiffh time Irving has scored 30-plus points for the Celtics in their opening 23 games.

And he admitted after the game he comes alive in the final quarter and claimed his mind works quicker than others when it matters most.

“It’s the best time to play,” Irving said. 

“It’s ultimate freedom and you can really showcase what you’ve been working on because you’re going to get the team’s best shot.

“A lot of the things that would be afforded in the first three quarters probably wouldn’t be in the fourth quarter.

“You have to make very quick decisions in terms of what you want to do with the basketball and where your guys need to be on the floor.

“When you’re playing like that some guys think a lot quicker than others and I’m just fortunate enough that my mind works a lot quicker than others in the fourth quarter.

“It gets me going a little bit. Especially when it’s a close game - there’s nothing like it.

“I love playing those sort of situations because they’re always fun.”