Kyrie Irving explains why he saged court at Celtics' TD Garden

Irving's new pregame ritual could have been because it was his first visit to TD Garden since signing with the Nets in free agency last year. Many fans even speculated that he was doing it to get rid of any bad "juju" in the building. However, the All-Star says he was doing it to pay tribute to his Native American heritage and said it's something he plans to do before every game this season. 

"It just comes from a lot of native tribes," Irving said following the Nets' 113-89 win, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "Being able to sage, just cleanse the energy, make sure that we're all balanced. When we come into this job, we come into this place, it's not anything that I don't do at home that I did today. I saged last game, and I plan to sage almost every game if the opposing team will allow me to."

Irving's mother, who died when he was just four-years-old, was a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. He honored the tribe, and his mother, by wearing custom sneakers with the Standing Rock logo on them in 2018.

The 28-year-old's pregame ritual seemed to pay off, too. The Nets beat the Celtics 113-89, and Irving notched 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the win. Kevin Durant also had a big game, scoring 25 points with six rebounds and two assists. 

The Nets and Celtics will meet again during the regular season on Christmas Day at TD Garden. Expect Irving to break out the sage and cleanse the court once again.