Kyrie Irving sets new career-high and Nets franchise record while dropping 60

Kyrie Irving sets new career-high and Nets franchise record while dropping 60 points against the Orlando Magic. 

One concern the Brooklyn Nets do not have is the ability to score points. There are only 13 games left in the regular season for the Nets and, still, Kyrie Irving can only play in road games. That did not stop him from dropping a career-high and Nets franchise-record 60 points against the Orlando Magic Tuesday night.

The combo of Irving and Kevin Durant being able to score at an absurd rate whenever they choose is going to be a problem for teams when playoffs start.

Watching Kyrie score 60 points was impressive, don’t get me wrong. What’s more impressive is the fact that in a one week span, the Nets had three 50-point or more games. On March 8, Kyrie scored 50 against the Charlotte Hornets. On March 13, Durant dropped 53 in the Barclay’s Center vs. the New York Knicks. Then, to wrap up an incredible week, Kyrie dropped 60 Tuesday night.

The Nets are also on a four-game winning streak in the last week.

Irving has only played in 19 games this season and he is still averaging 27.7 points per game. He has also scored at least 22 or more points in 14 of those 19 games played. Just imagine what the Nets record could be if they had Kyrie the whole season. I don’t think Brooklyn goes on an 11-game losing streak if they have him all year.

The normal NBA player usually hits their prime around 27-28 years old. Kyrie is one of those exceptions though, as he has been doing things like this since he was much younger. Despite Irving turning 30 next Wednesday, he has been performing at a high-level way before the “prime” of his career.

Scoring 60 points in an NBA game is not easy at all, and it takes a gifted player to be able to do so. How about the fact that Kyrie scored 41 of his 60 points in the first half of the game. His 41 first-half points also put him in some elite NBA company. 

Most points scored by a player in the first half in the last 25 years:

• 42- Kobe Bryant (3/28/03)
• 41- Kyrie Irving  (3/15/22)
• 40- Klay Thompson (12/5/16)
• 39- Zach LaVine (4/9/21)

The franchise record 60 points came quickly and efficiently for Kyrie. He only played in 35 of the 48 minutes of the game and was still able to do what he did. I think that speaks to how much better and more talented Kyrie is than a large portion of the NBA. His stat line was remarkable. 

• 60 points (career and Nets franchise record)
• 20/31 (65%) shooting from the field
• 8/12 (67%) from the 3-point line
• 12/13 (92%) from the free-throw line
• 4 assists
• 4 steals
• A +/- of +36

https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1503930616533987331

Brooklyn fans know that this season has not been ideal at all. Before the new year started, the Nets were 23-10. During this calendar year, the Nets are 13-23 and they had an 11-game losing streak. Durant was out for a month and a half, Kyrie still only plays road games, and Ben Simmons still has yet to play in a game for the Brooklyn Nets.

Adversity has been a characteristic of the Nets this season. Every game can potentially bring a new starting lineup, and Steve Nash has done a great job in managing the roster and giving the players the correct amount of playing time they need to help the team be successful.

The Nets are 2.5 games back from the seventh seed Toronto Raptors, and 3.5  back from the sixth seed Cleveland Cavaliers. The Nets might have to go through the Play-In Tournament, but they will still make the playoffs.

How will the rest of the regular season playout for the Nets, and how far will they be able to go in the playoffs?