Kyrie Irving is no magician, but he pulled out the bag of tricks in last night’s 150-108 blow-out victory against the Orlando Magic.
Since Irving is only allowed to play half the time, since he can’t play in home games due to New York’s covid restrictions, we must appreciate what we’re witnessing.
In Kyrie Irving’s last three games, he is averaging 44 points. In his last two games, he scored 50 plus, and in his last game, he dropped a career-high 60! Kyrie manhandled the Magics in the Amway Center.
Things got started right away. In 23 first-half minutes, Irving went 14-for-19 from the field, 6-for-7 from beyond the arc, and 7-for-7 from the free-throw line while adding three rebounds and three assists. He scored 41 of his 60 points in the first half.
Irving finished the game 20-for-31 from the field, 8-for-12 from beyond the arc, and 12-for-13 from the free-throw line. Along with this being a career-high for Irving, he set multiple records in the first half alone. It was the highest-scoring half of his career and the highest-scoring half for any player this season.
The last player to score as many as Irving in half was Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, who dropped 51 points in the second half of a March 24, 2017, game against the Boston Celtics. Booker finished that game with 70 points.
In the franchise’s history, Irving’s 41 points are the most one player has scored in one half against the Magic. The Nets’ 86 first-half points are also a franchise record. It was also the most the Magic have ever given up in one half.
Kyrie’s Tuesday 60-point performance and Durant’s 53 points in Sunday’s win over the New York Knicks put the teammates in the record books. They became the first teammates in NBA history to score 50 or more points in back-to-back games.
Kyrie Irving and the NBA have been on a tear as of late. In this month alone, Kyrie 60. Karl Anthony-Towns dropped 60. Lebron James put up 56 and 50, respectively. Jayson Tatum dropped 54. Kevin Durant dropped 53, and Kyrie dropped 50 in his last game.
How can you not appreciate this caliber of basketball? Who’s going to be the next to score big? Let us know what you think.
