There have been some impressive scoring outings in the NBA recently. LeBron James became the oldest player to score at least 50 points in a game with at least 10 rebounds, breaking the record held by Michael Jordan. He also became the fourth-oldest player to score at least 50 in a game.
Kevin Durant surpassed the 50-point plateau himself over the weekend, pouring in 53 to carry the Brooklyn Nets to a victory over the New York Knicks. The following night, Karl-Anthony Towns scored an NBA-high 60 points against the San Antonio Spurs.
Towns didn’t hold that distinction by himself for very long. Not even 24 hours later, Kyrie Irving poured in 60 points against the Orlando Magic. It was the first time in NBA history that teammates scored at least 50 points in consecutive games.
Irving was in the zone against the Magic as they had no answer for him. Despite being on the road, Irving’s name was being chanted and every time that he had the ball in his hand there was a buzz in the crowd.
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Kyrie Irving knew that Tuesday night was different than other games following an air-ball in the third quarter. He received a round of applause for his performance.
“Probably the air-ball,” Irving said with a laugh. “To be honest with you. I was like, “Ah, I don’t usually shoot these type of shots, but I’m just going to get in my Kobe bag real quick and live with the results. Triple-team coming at me and I just looked over at the coaching staff and they were just like, ‘Keep playing.’ …
“When you’re a kid scoring a bunch of points, it means something, but when you’re in the best league in the world doing it against the greatest athletes that are playing our game, it means a little bit more.”
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Irving shot 20-of-31 in the game, making 8-of-12 from 3-point territory and 12-of-13 from the charity stripe. He scored 41 of his 60 in the first half alone, which is the most points in a single half in his career and the most in the NBA this season.
His teammates were encouraging him to continue scoring and he obliged. The only reason he knew he was putting on a scoring display of that magnitude was because of his teammates.
“Somebody told me on the bench what it was, and I’m just grateful it came in the flow of the game. A few shots probably I shouldn’t have taken, tough ones, double teams triple teams coming but as long as I could do it with a smile on my face and my teammates weren’t too angry at me it made this night worth while.”
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This is the second time in March that Kyrie Irving scored at least 50 points, as he lit up the Charlotte Hornets for 50 on March 8th. Performances of that caliber leave some people asking what if because Irving is not eligible to play in games in New York City or Toronto because of vaccine mandates. If he could play in home games, the Brooklyn Nets season likely unfolds in a much different manner.
