The Charlotte Hornets had a chance to take over the sole possession of the eighth seed on Tuesday night, but they failed. The Brooklyn Nets handed the Hornets their 34th loss of the season, 132-121. To be honest, the game was a lot more of a blowout than it seems.
The Hornets were down by 30-plus points at one point but managed to make a run later on in the second half. That run was interrupted though by Kyrie Irving, who dropped a 50-piece in Buzz City. Irving shot a blazing 79% from the field, including going 9-of-12 from deep. Just insane efficiency from the Nets' road warrior.
Hornets coach James Borrego could do nothing but tip his cap to Irving.
“He was special tonight. He made tough shots, we doubled him, had our best defenders on him, blitzed him in pick and roll, everything. You just gotta give him credit,” gushed Borrego.
Irving has only played 17 games this season because of his COVID-19 vaccination stance. This was easily his best game of the season and he gave Kevin Durant a chance to chill, which is good news for the Nets. Not to be outdone though, Hornets stars Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges put up 30 points apiece. LaMelo Ball chipped in 24 points but they were mostly scored in desperation to claw back into the game.
Rozier and Bridges kept it real about how the game went and Irving's masterful performance.
“We didn't see the ball go through the hole and that dictated our defense. It all went downhill from there. Kyrie got going and that was the story of the game,” said Bridges.
“We dug ourselves in a hole and it cost us for the rest of the game. We play at our best when we're down 20-25 points and we're trying to fight back, but it's too little too late. Kyrie and KD know how to control the game and just score at will,” added Rozier.
It was just one of those nights when everything was falling for Irving and nothing was working for the Hornets in the first half. If the Hornets can find a way to be productive in all 48 minutes rather than the last 24 minutes, they can hang with any team. Despite what the Nets' record says, they still have the best odds to win the Eastern Conference. Even if Irving is just a part-time player, Durant still makes the team scary.
The Hornets have to pick up the pieces quickly and prepare for one of the hottest teams in the league, the Boston Celtics, on Wednesday. The Celtics have turned their season around behind the dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Hornets have their hands full for the second half of a back-to-back. Hopefully, they can get off to a better start this time around.
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