Kyrie Irving scores 18 of his 29 points in the first quarter to lead the Nets to blowout over Jazz./
He scores 29, but gets help from Allen with 19 points, 18 rebounds
Kyrie Irving scored 20 of his 29 points in the first half to lead the undermanned Brooklyn Nets to a 130-96 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
Brooklyn, which entered the game having lost two straight and four of five, never trailed. The Nets led 35-14 after the first quarter and 63-44 at halftime. Brooklyn’s 19-point halftime lead was its biggest in about 10 months. In the Nets’ 139-120 win over San Antonio on March 6, 2020, they had a 21-point (7554) halftime lead.
Irving was a prime factor in the Nets’ first-half attack, scoring 18 points in the first quarter and 20 by halftime. Irving ’s 18 first-quarter points were the third-most scored by a player on any team in an opening quarter this season. His 20 first-half points marked the fifth time this season he had that many in an opening half.
As brilliant as he was individually, Irving had help from Jarrett Allen and Caris Levert.
Allen recorded his third double-double of the season with 19 points and 18 rebounds, and Levert had 24 points off the bench. Allen’s totals were season highs. Joe Harris chipped in with 10 points.
The Nets did not let up in the second half as they cruised to their fourth win in eight games this season. A sequence in the final 1:34 of the third quarter all but put the game away. It began with an Allen alley-oop dunk off a feed by Levert, followed by a jumper by Levert, a breakaway layup for the Nets’ sixth man, and Brooklyn’s young big man’s buzzer-beating putback. In that stretch, Brooklyn extended its lead from 92-70 to 98-73.
Donovan Mitchell led Utah (4-3) with game-high 31 points. Jordan Clarkson added 12, and Rudy Gobert and Royce O’neale had 10 each for the Jazz, whose two-game winning steak was snapped.
Lakers 94, Grizzlies 92: Anthony Davis and Lebron James scored 26 points each, rallying Los Angeles to a win over Memphis. James added 11 rebounds and seven assists, and Dennis Schroder finished with 12 points for Los Angeles. Jonas Valanciunas, Dillon Brooks and Gorgui Dieng led Memphis with 13 points apiece, and Brandon Clarke added 12 points. Valanciunas finished with 11 rebounds.
Note: Atlanta Hawks guard Rajon Rondo will miss at least three more games because of right knee soreness.