Celtics

Watch: Kyrie Irving dunks on Nicolas Batum in his Celtics preseason debut

Kyrie Irving crouches as he waits for the opening tip of the Celtics' first preseason game Monday. Jim Davis / The Boston Globe

Kyrie Irving is known for his masterful layups.

But within the first minutes of his Celtics preseason debut, Irving pulled off something in front of the TD Garden crowd that he rarely has done in the NBA.

He dunked.

And it wasn’t some uncontested, open-court dunk. After cutting backdoor, Irving took the pass from Al Horford and threw it down on Charlotte Hornets forward Nicolas Batum. Listed at 6-foot-8, Batum’s five-inch height advantage over Irving couldn’t save him.

According to Basketball Reference, Irving had two dunks total last season.

The first-quarter jam came shortly after the Celtics newcomer scored his first — albeit preseason — points for Boston.

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