Kyrie Irving Drops 39 Points as Nets Beat Kawhi Leonard, Clippers 124-120
Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 39 points and James Harden added a 23-point triple-double as the Brooklyn Nets took down the Los Angeles Clippers 124-120 Tuesday at home in Barclays Center.
Irving caught fire in the fourth quarter, scoring eight straight points to turn a 102-99 deficit into a 107-102 lead with 4:37 left. That advantage stretched to 118-108 with 1:55 remaining.
However, the Clippers stormed back with a 9-0 run courtesy of a Nicolas Batum three-pointer, a Marcus Morris Sr. three-point play and a Paul George triple, the latter of which occurred with 24.8 seconds left and cut the Nets' edge to 118-117.
A frenetic finish ensued.
The Clippers fouled Nets forward Kevin Durant, who hit two free throws.
Brooklyn prevented L.A. from attempting a game-tying three-pointer by fouling Kawhi Leonard, who also made his two from the charity stripe.
Harden then grabbed the ball and threw a full-court heave to a wide-open Jeff Green, who made a layup and was fouled in the process. Green missed the free throw, though, giving the Clips life down 122-119.
Brooklyn once again fouled a Clipper, with Batum being the target this time.
Batum missed the first and made the second by accident while trying to create an offensive rebound attempt for his team. Irving hit two free throws on the other end, and that was the ballgame.
The Nets shot 57.0 percent from the field. Durant notably scored 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Irving made 15 of his 23 shots. Harden paced the Nets with 14 assists and 11 rebounds.
Leonard led the Clips with 33 points on 12-of-24 shooting.
The defeat snaps the 16-6 Los Angeles Clippers' three-game win streak. The Brooklyn Nets improved to 14-9.
Notable Performances
Nets PG Kyrie Irving: 39 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Nets F Kevin Durant: 28 points, 9 rebounds
Nets SG James Harden: 23 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds
Clippers F Kawhi Leonard: 33 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals
Clippers F Paul George: 26 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
Clippers F Nic Batum: 21 points, 6 rebounds
Kyrie Irving Puts on a Show
Kyrie Irving carried the Nets' offense Tuesday, propelling Brooklyn to a much-needed win after a bitterly disappointing 149-146 loss the Washington Wizards two nights ago.
The Nets went from playing the team with the league's worst record to the one with the best (prior to Tuesday) after the Clippers came into town, and Irving was up for the challenge, producing a series of highlight-creating plays:
Irving cut through the lane, drew in the defense and found a wide-open DeAndre Jordan for two:
The ex-Duke star unleashed a nasty crossover against Leonard before knocking down a long two with his toe on the three-point line:
Irving got the best of Leonard on another possession, evading he and Morris in the key on a fast-break layup:
The floor general then took on Clippers point guard Reggie Jackson, effortlessly knocking home a step-back three:
The scoring third-quarter scoring barrage, which featured 14 Irving points, continued with this layup in Batum's face:
It didn't matter whether Irving was hanging out by the three-point line or cutting into the paint. Simply put, he was getting buckets either way:
The Nets needed some big performances from their top three stars to take down the scorching-hot Clips, and they got them from all three. It was Irving's 39, however, that ultimately made the difference in this high-scoring affair, as the Clippers had no answers for him all night.
Clippers' Top 4 Players Can't Carry Them To Victory
A stark discrepancy existed between the Clippers' top four performers and the rest of the team on Tuesday.
Leonard, George, Batum and Morris combined for 96 of the team's 120 points, shooting 36-of-68 from the field. Meanwhile, the rest of the team scored 24 points on 9-of-31 shooting.
Luke Kennard, who signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Clips last offseason, grabbed just one rebound in four minutes. Lou Williams had four points on 2-of-7 shooting, and he and Serge Ibaka combined to go 6-of-20 from the field.
Granted, the Clippers did receive some productive outings from other players despite the low scoring totals: Ibaka had 10 rebounds, and Jackson added five rebounds and four dimes.
But on a night where Irving and Durant rarely missed and Harden did whatever he wanted on the court, the Clips needed someone else to step up aside from the top four. That didn't happen, and the team fell behind by double digits in the fourth.
Still, the Clippers nearly pulled it off anyway.
Batum notably kept the Clippers within striking distance after a four-point play:
Leonard knocked down a three from the elbow to put L.A. in the lead late in the third:
And George's three-point play gave L.A. its largest lead of the fourth:
However, Irving took over from there, and Harden and Durant were simply too strong down the stretch, giving Brooklyn the home win.
What's Next?
The Clippers will finish their six-game Eastern Conference road swing against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
The Nets will welcome the Toronto Raptors into town on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
