Kyrie Irving on Wednesday dazzled in his Brooklyn Nets debut, but his 50 points were not enough as the Nets fell 127-126 in overtime to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their NBA season-opener.
“Outstanding,” was the verdict of Nets coach Kenny Atkinson. “Great debut for him.”
Irving, whose arrival from the Boston Celtics as a free agent helped stamp the Nets as contenders this season, opened the night with an emotional address to fans in Brooklyn — not far from where he grew up in New Jersey.
“I’m eternally grateful to be here, be back home in front of you guys with my teammates,” Irving said, choking up at one point.
However, the Timberwolves jumped out to a faster start, leading by as many as 18 in the second quarter.
Then came Irving, who scored 13 points in the fourth quarter. His step-back three put Brooklyn up 115-112 with 1 minute, 16 seconds left in regulation, but Karl Anthony Towns — who led Minnesota with 36 points and 14 rebounds — answered with a three-pointer as they went to overtime.
They traded the lead five times in the extra period, two baskets from Andrew Wiggins giving the Timberwolves a 127-124 lead.
Irving sank two free throws, but with the ball in his hands for a potential game-winner, he lost his balance, recovered and kept the play alive, but missed the shot.
Irving broke the previous record of 47 for most points by a player in his first game with an NBA team.
“It’s a great starting point,” Irving said. “Obviously, you wanted to come out and get a win in front of our home crowd, but we’ve got another chance on Friday.”
The Celtics’ post-Irving life began with a 93-107 loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia.
Ben Simmons, who opted not to play for Australia in the World Cup to focus on the season, led the Sixers with 24 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Five 76ers in double figures included Joel Embiid, who took a beating on the way to 15 points and 13 rebounds.
The Cameroonian center was left with a bloodied face when he took an inadvertent elbow from Jaylen Brown in the third quarter and hit the court hard chasing a loose ball in the same period.
“I think everybody defensively was solid,” Simmons said. “Everybody stayed together and everybody was playing physical ball. That’s who we want to be known as, a physical team.”
Also on Wednesday, it was:
‧ Magic 94, Cavaliers 85
‧ Hornets 126, Bulls 125
‧ Heat 120, Grizzlies 101
‧ Spurs 120, Knicks 111
‧ Jazz 100, Thunder 95
‧ Nuggets 108, Trail Blazers 100
‧ Pistons 119, Pacers 110
‧ Mavericks 108, Wizards 100
‧ Suns 124, Kings 95
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