© Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Kyrie Irving erupted for an uber-efficient 50 points as the Brooklyn Nets snapped a 4-game skid to beat the Charlotte Hornets 132-121.
In what was a masterclass performance, Kyrie Irving came in when the Nets most needed him with a historic 50-point performance. Irving shot the basketball as if he was hitting golf balls into the ocean, as he shot 15-of-19 from the field, and 9-of-12 from behind the arc, making him just the second player in NBA history to have multiple 50 point games while shooting 75% of better from the field– the other being Michael Jordan himself.
To pile onto the statistical anomaly this game was, Kyrie Irving broke the record for the highest TS% in a 50 point game in NBA history with an astronomical 101.1% (a record in which Irving was 3rd in all time prior to last night.) 7 points high of his career high, Irving tallied the fifth 50-point game of his career, being just 1 of 22 players to do such in league history.
The performance came when the Nets needed it most, in the midst of a slump that found the Nets with a 3-17 record recently– a record that was tied for worst in the league with the tanking Houston Rockets over the last 20 games.
Kevin Durant had a uncharacteristically quiet night with just 14 points in his 40 minutes on the court. Durant let his superstar teammate take the spotlight for a game as he watched with the best seats in the building in amazement.
“That was a masterclass,” said Durant.
The Nets cannot ravish in their victory as they now sit at .500 with a 33-33 record, and currently in a play-in spot at 8th in the Eastern Conference. They aim their sights on a quick-turned rivalry where Irving and Durant will face their (not-so) former teammate James Harden in Philadelphia on Thursday. The game will be just the 6th Harden will suit up for in a 76ers jersey since being traded to Philadelphia just a month prior– a record in which the 76ers stand a perfect 5-0.
