Irving pays homage to Kobe with 54-point scoring explosion
>> LOS ANGELES: Kyrie Irving channeled his inner “Mamba mentality” by torching Chicago for 54 points on Friday as the Brooklyn Nets crushed the Bulls 133-118 at Barclays Center.
Irving’s electrifying performance saw him shoot 19 of 23 from the field as he made his first 10 shots of the game before finishing it off with a dominating stretch in the fourth. “I hit a few shots in first half, so I just kept it going,” Irving said. “The Kobe mentality, and Mamba mentality, keep going, keep going. It felt good.”
Irving also tied a season-high by making seven three-pointers on nine attempts for the Nets, who beat Chicago for the ninth time in the last 11 meetings. “I am just happy to be back playing the game I love. The most beautiful sound is just hearing these fans and having my family here,” he said.
Irving produced his second 50-point game this season and fourth of his career.
He reached 50 points with a three-pointer that pushed the lead to 123-106 with 5:33 remaining. He closed out his night with 2:43 remaining to a standing ovation.
Elsewhere, Nikola Jokic flirted with a triple double and Will Barton scored 24 points as the Denver Nuggets snapped the Milwaukee Bucks nine-game win streak with a 127-115 victory.
Jokic finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets, who spread the scoring around as all nine players who got into the contest scored in double figures.
Also, Pascal Siakam had 30 points, and the visiting Toronto Raptors stretched their winning streak to 10 games by cruising past the struggling Detroit Pistons 105-92. Serge Ibaka scored 21 points, and Fred VanVleet tallied 16 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Raptors, who made 51 percent of their shot attempts.