Kyrie Irving had a night for the ages, throwing down everything but the kitchen sink at the Minnesota Timberwolves in his debut with the Brooklyn Nets. The All-Star point guard poured in 50 points, but he needed two more to make his debut all the more special, unfortunately missing after a maneuver gone wrong that almost resulted in a last-second game-winner in overtime.
Irving tried to spin past Josh Okogie, but lost his footing and tripped, managing to still keep the ball in his hands to let out one last fadeaway jumper:
Kyrie almost knocked down the buzzer-beater 😧 pic.twitter.com/7mvw7yoNjc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 24, 2019
While the Timberwolves survived by the skin of their teeth, many wonder how special it would have been to see Irving hit a shot of that magnitude in his debut after pulling off the NBA version of a streetball move. The 27-year-old has had a knack for the big moment and has canned many game-winners, including in the NBA Finals, but this could have made his debut with the Nets all that much sweeter.
Irving canned 17 of his 33 shot attempts, including 7-of-14 from deep and 9-of-10 from the foul line, grabbing eight rebounds, handing out seven assists, and committing no turnovers in 38 minutes of action.
While winning wasn't in the cards for Irving, he became the first Nets player to drop 50 in a game since Deron Williams in 2012 and the first with 50 or more in a loss since Stephon Marbury in 2001, according to StatMuse. He also set the record for most points in a debut.
Irving now leads the league in scoring, a goal that he could keep throughout the season if he keeps attacking at this rabid pace.
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