NEW YORK – Kyrie Irving had his highest point of the season at 40 points against the Boston Celtics on Thursday-evening, taking his fifth game with 40 points or more since joining the Brooklyn Nets for the 2019-2020 season. Only two players – Vince Carter and John Williamson – have had more such games for the franchise.
After the Brooklyn Nets 121-109 win over Boston, Irving hugged his former teammates before walking off the floor.
“Great surprise to a lot of people,” Irving said jokingly. “That’s all … talking about me and all the relationships I have with every former teammate of mine.”
Irving played for the Celtics from 2017 to 2019. The guard of the Nets has scored 77 points against Boston this season. Still, Irving said that confronting his former team didn’t necessarily add fuel to his game, but that he expected to see the Celtics in the playoffs.
“I’m just waiting for the main stage,” said Irving. “Playing in front of millions of people and it actually matters in terms of winning or losing or going home. I look forward to that, but games like this one in the middle of the season against guys you know well is always a challenge. “
Irving’s former teammate Marcus Smart called Irving’s performance “ vintage Kyrie, ” but added that the snipers around Irving made the nets particularly difficult to guard. Landry Shamet had 18 points to Brooklyn off the bench, while Joe Harris added 12 points and Jeff Green finished 11.
James Harden had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who have now won 11 of their past 12 games. After the game, Harden said he felt early on that the team was shedding a bit of post-All-Star rust, but that Irving helped carry them to a victory.
“He’s of a different race,” Harden said of Irving. “ He has that killer mentality in the sense that no matter who we play or where we play, he goes out and tries to destroy the opponent, and that’s something you would totally want on your team. times. That mentality is what sets him apart from a lot of guys in this league. “