NEW YORK – Kyrie Irving tied his 40-point high season on Thursday night against the Boston Celtics, marking his fifth game with 40 or more points since joining the Brooklyn Nets before the 2019-20 season. Only two players – Vince Carter and John Williamson – had more such games for the franchise.
After the Brooklyn Nets 121-109 victory over Boston, Irving hugged his former teammates before leaving the ground.
“Big surprise for many people,” said Irving jokingly. “All of this just — talking about me and all the relationships I have with all my ex-teammates.”
Irving played for the Celtics from 2017 to 2019. The Nets guard scored 77 points against Boston this season. Still, Irving said that facing his former team doesn’t necessarily add extra fuel to his game, but that he expects 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 really matters in terms of winning or losing or going home. I’m looking forward to it, but games like this in the middle of the season against guys you know well, are always a blessing.”
Irving’s former teammate Marcus Smart called Irving’s performance “vintage Kyrie” but added that snipers around Irving made the Nets particularly difficult to protect. Landry Shamet had 18 points for Brooklyn off the bench, while Joe Harris added 12 points and Jeff Green finished with 11.
James Harden had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who have now won 11 of their last 12 games. After the game, Harden said that early on, he could feel that the team was getting rid of some of the post-All-Star rust, but that Irving helped lead them to victory.
“He’s a different race,” said Harden of Irving. “He has that murderous mentality in the sense that, no matter who we play with or where we are playing, he goes out there and tries to destroy the opponent, and this is something you would like to have on your team sometimes. That mentality is what different from many guys in this league. “