Kyrie Irving – who grew up in New Jersey and signed with the Brooklyn Nets this summer – emphasized the personal importance of going home.
He showed it all night.
Irving got choked up while addressing the Brooklyn crowd before Wednesday’s opener against the Timberwolves:
Then, he scored 50 points with eight rebounds, seven assists and no turnovers – an unmatched stat line in the Basketball-Reference database (which goes back to 1983-84).
Irving’s 50 points broke the scoring record for a player’s debut with a team. The most points in someone’s first game with a new team:
- Kyrie Irving: 50 (2019 Brooklyn Nets)
- Kiki VanDeWeghe: 47 (1984 Portland Trail Blazers)
- Wilt Chamberlain: 43 (1959 Philadelphia Warriors)
However, Brooklyn lost 127-126 in overtime when Irving missed a game-winner. Still, even getting off this attempt after falling was incredible:
Despite the loss, this was a fantastic performance by Irving. He dazzled with his ball-handling and shooting:
Irving joins a short list of players who’ve scored 50 points in a season opener:
- Kyrie Irving: 50 (2019 Brooklyn Nets)
- Anthony Davis: 50 (2016 New Orleans Pelicans)
- Michael Jordan: 54 (1989 Chicago Bulls)
- Michael Jordan: 50 (1986 Chicago Bulls)
- Wilt Chamberlain: 56 (1962 San Francisco Warriors)
- Elgin Baylor: 52 (1959 Minneapolis Lakers)
Karl-Anthony Towns (36 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, three steals) led Minnesota. That’s a big reason the Timberwolves overcame a rough, but all-too-typical, night from Andrew Wiggins (21 points on 27 shots, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, -21 in 36 minutes).