Kyrie Irving Drops 50 in Debut, but Nets Lose to Timberwolves in Overtime
Kyrie Irving dropped 50 points in his Brooklyn Nets debut, but it wasn't enough as Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled out a 127-126 overtime victory in their season opener at the Barclays Center on Wednesday night.
Irving became just the seventh player in franchise history to record 50-plus points in a game—and it was game No. 1 for him. He shot 17-of-33 from the floor, including 7-of-14 from three-point range.
Towns led the way for the Timberwolves with 36 points and 14 rebounds, knocking down seven triples on the night.
Notable Performances
Minnesota
C Karl-Anthony Towns: 36 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, three steals
F Andrew Wiggins: 21 points, eight rebounds
F Robert Covington: 15 points, nine rebounds
Brooklyn
PG Kyrie Irving: 50 points, seven assists, eight rebounds
SG Caris LeVert: 20 points, four assists, five rebounds
F Taurean Prince: 15 points
C DeAndre Jordan: two points, three rebounds
Kyrie Shines in Brooklyn Homecoming
Irving made it clear in July that the draw of playing close to home played a role in his free-agent decision, and he reiterated that stance as he addressed the Barclays Center crowd prior to tipoff.
Well, he made a good first impression with the hometown fans.
It didn't take long for Irving to make his presence felt, either. He recorded his first bucket as a Net just more than two minutes into the game, ultimately piling up 12 points in the opening period:
Unfortunately for Irving, he had very little help early on. The rest of the team combined for just 10 points in the opening 12 minutes. When Irving checked out of the game for the first time with just more than three minutes remaining in the first, Minnesota held a one-point lead. By the time he checked back in seven minutes later, the deficit had swelled to 17.
The time on the bench couldn't cool off Irving, who kept his team within striking distance:
Irving finished the first half with 25 points and a plus/minus of plus-five, though his team faced a 12-point hole at the break.
The Nets made a game of it by coming out of the locker room on a 15-2 run and ultimately outscored the Timberwolves in the third by 17 as Taurean Prince went off for 15 points in the period.
That presented Mr. Fourth Quarter an opportunity to make an appearance. Irving scored nine points in the final 2:19 of regulation, which included a clutch triple over Treveon Graham:
He added seven points in overtime to reach the 50 plateau, setting a franchise record for points in a season debut. In the end, though, he was unable to come up with one final bucket as the last few seconds ticked off the clock.
With two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant expected to miss the entire season because of an Achilles injury, Irving will be asked to carry the load the way he did on Wednesday. If the Nets are going to contend for a championship, though, the six-time All-Star is going to need more help.
Towns Powers Timberwolves to Victory
On a night during which Andrew Wiggins (10-of-27) struggled shooting the ball, it was up to Towns to put the team on his back.
Towns flirted with a double-double in the first half alone, logging 16 points and nine rebounds prior to halftime while also adding three assists, two blocks and one steal.
The 6'11", 248-pound center didn't just chill in the paint all night, though. Towns showed off his range, going 4-of-4 from deep in the first half:
Minnesota shouldn't expect Towns, a 39.2 career three-point shooter, to do that kind of damage from deep on a consistent basis. But when the two-time All-Star is knocking down shots from the outside like he did on Wednesday, he becomes a nightmare for opposing defenses.
When Minnesota faced an eight-point deficit in the fourth, Towns thrived while scoring 16 points in the final nine-plus minutes of regulation to help force overtime and pull out the come-from-behind victory.
According to the Timberwolves, it marked the first time in the 2015 first overall pick's career that he had gone for 20 and 10 in a season opener.
What's Next?
Both teams will be back in action on Friday. Brooklyn will host the New York Knicks in a Big Apple battle, while Minnesota will head to North Carolina for a clash with the Charlotte Hornets.
