Boy, did the Nets need that one. After a four-game losing skid, Brooklyn had fallen to the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference, but Kyrie Irving made sure that did not last a day longer.
Kevin Durant only scored 14 points, but the entire team basically could have stood on the sideline and watched Irving go to work and they still would have won. The Nets got off to a hot start, building up a 26-point lead at halftime. That lead would slowly dwindle in the second half, but Kyrie’s 50 points on just 19 field goal attempts were enough to ensure Charlotte would not complete a comeback.
Irving was doing everything right on Tuesday, scoring at will at the hoop, in the midrange, and from three. Missing four shots all game, he added to his record of 50-point games in Nets history with his third in as many seasons.
For people who forgot how good Kyrie Irving is, this game served as a stark reminder for what the Nets are missing out on when he cannot play at Barclays Center. Kyrie, the Nets, and the NBA need to find a solution to get him back on the court for home games, because he is simply must-see television in addition to his obvious value of helping the Nets win. Not to be completely overlooked, Andre Drummond chipped in with a 20-point double-double, and Bruce Brown continued his recent run of great play with 14 points in addition to his usual great work on the defensive end
With a tough game tomorrow in Philadelphia, the Nets will be hoping for some more magic to get themselves back into better playoff positioning as the season enters the home stretch. Despite the kind language that Durant has used when talking about James Harden since the trade, you can count on the Nets’ stars and role players to be out for blood against their former leader who wanted out mid-season.
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