Kyrie Irving has been one of the NBA's top guards during an extended hot streak for the Brooklyn Nets, much to head coach Jacque Vaughn's delight. Irving's fourth-quarter brilliance in particular has jumped off the page during Brooklyn's resurgence. The seven-time All-Star is leading the league in fourth-quarter scoring at 8.9 points per game.
Irving came up huge again in the final frame during a 108-102 win over New Orleans Friday. However, unlike recent games, the veteran struggled in a big way prior to coming alive late. Irving was 4 of 16 from the field through the first three and a half quarters. He would then go on to score 10 points in the final seven minutes to propel Brooklyn to victory.
With 6:31 remaining, the guard drained a deep pull-up three to give the Nets the lead.
He would then score all seven of the Nets' points in the final 1:12 to bury the Pelicans.
Over his last eight fourth quarters, Irving is averaging 12.0 points on 35 of 65 (53.8 percent) shooting from the field and 13 of 32 (40.6 percent) shooting from three. Following Friday's win, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said Irving's ability to rise to the occasion in clutch moments despite early struggles sets him apart.
“He just has a way of embracing that moment no matter what happened previously,” Jacque Vaughn said. “He has an unbelievable ability to embrace what happened before and be in the moment and take full advantage of that moment to shine.”
Irving is in his fourth year with the Nets. The 31-year-old said his mental development over the last few seasons has allowed him to remain poised in clutch moments regardless of struggles, something he feels has translated to the rest of the team.
“You saw a few (shots go) in and out for me in that fourth quarter. You look back a year ago, and I can admit this about myself, I probably would have been pissed, I probably would have been mentally out of it, just not making enough shots for us to get over the hump,” he said. “I think our growth as a team is just seeing some of our leaders, including myself, just be poised. It's making a big difference.”
Irving finished with 19 points. Kevin Durant scored a game-high 33 points but also struggled from the field Friday. The Nets clawed out the victory despite 16 of 48 shooting from their star duo.
Brooklyn's defense kept them in the game amid Durant and Irving's struggles. After trailing by 11 at the break, the Nets held the Pelicans to 38 second-half points on 16 of 44 (36.4 percent) shooting. Nic Claxton turned in another high-level performance as Brooklyn's defensive anchor, stuffing the stat sheet with 9 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 blocks on 4 of 4 shooting.
The fourth-year big man grabbed three offensive rebounds in the final six minutes to maintain the Nets' lead.
Three game-winning offensive rebounds by Nic Claxton in the final 6 minutes.
He was outstanding tonight. pic.twitter.com/onGoEOPsOy
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 7, 2023
Claxton is generating Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year buzz during a breakout season. The 23-year-old leads the league in field goal percentage (73.3) and ranks second in blocks per game (2.5) while proving to be one of the league's top perimeter-defending big men.
Royce O'Neale bounced back after a disastrous 0 of 9 shooting performance in a loss at Chicago Wednesday. The offseason acquisition scored 14 points on 4 of 7 shooting from three, including a massive pull-up with 2:30 remaining to put the Nets up four.
“Last game, that's probably a rare occasion that will ever happen, (where I) miss every shot,” O'Neale said of his bounce-back effort. “Like they say, keep shooting. These guys trust in me and I work on it every day and that's what I'm going to keep doing.”
The win marks Brooklyn's 17th in 19 games. The Nets sit one game back of Boston for first place in the Easter Conference. Irving and Co. will look to pull closer when they travel to Miami Sunday before returning home to host Boston in a showdown of the league's top two records.
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