Kyrie Irving on Friday hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer as the Brooklyn Nets rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 119-116 night, extending their winning streak to a season-high five.
Irving scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, eluding Toronto’s Fred VanVleet to connect on the decisive basket — the first game-winning buzzer-beater of his NBA career.
“Honestly, I was thinking basket,” Irving said. “I saw Juancho [Hernangomez] come over a little bit earlier so I decided to pull it back and took my time, got my balance underneath me.”
Photo: AFP
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said he planned to give Kevin Durant the ball for the final shot, but Durant convinced Vaughn to let Irving shoot instead.
“He was already cooking so I didn’t want to get in his way,” Durant said of Irving. “I felt like he could get whatever he wanted there. I also felt like they weren’t going to run and double him, either. They let him play one-on-one and it was a special, special shot.”
It was Brooklyn’s first game-winning buzzer-beater since Brook Lopez hit one in a home victory over the Detroit Pistons on March 21, 2017.
Photo: AP
Vaughn said that Irving has the right personality for such a high-pressure shot.
“He definitely has an inner peace and poise that you have to have in that situation to not panic,” Vaughn said. “And he has an innate ability to get to his spot. He wanted to rise up, he created space with balance.”
Irving said competitive desire, not comfort, is his main driver.
“I’m not really comfortable, I just want to be great in those situations,” he said. “I’ve failed more than I’ve succeeded.”
VanVleet said that Irving deserved credit for his cold-blooded basket.
“He’s the best in the world at that right there,” VanVleet said. “You have to salute him.”
Durant scored 26 points and Nic Claxton had 15 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high six blocks as the Nets overcame an 18-point deficit to sweep the season series from Toronto for the first time since the 2002-2003 season.
VanVleet matched his season high with 39 points. Scottie Barnes had 26 and Pascal Siakam added 17 as the struggling Raptors lost their season-worst fourth straight.
Yuta Watanabe scored 17 points for the Nets against his former team, including a go-ahead three with 14 seconds left. Ben Simmons and T.J. Warren each had 10 points for Brooklyn, who have won nine of 10.
Malachi Flynn scored 13 points as the Raptors lost back-to-back home games for the first time. Toronto are 10-5 north of the border.
The Raptors led 62-44 after a three-pointer by Siakam with 1 minute, 17 seconds left in the first half, but Brooklyn closed the second quarter on an 8-0 run, cutting it to 62-52.
“That was a huge little stretch for us to get to 10 at halftime,” Vaughn said.
The Nets outscored Toronto 17-8 in the first five minutes of the third to cut the deficit to 70-69, and Durant’s basket with 3 minutes, 25 seconds left in the quarter gave Brooklyn a 77-76 lead, their first of the game.
Toronto went none for five from three-point range in the third and the Nets took an 88-84 lead to the fourth.
In other games on Friday, it was:
‧ 76ers 118, Warriors 106
‧ Bulls 91, Knicks 114
‧ Cavaliers 118, Pacers 112
‧ Celtics 109, Magic 117
‧ Hornets 106, Hawks 125
‧ Lakers 126, Nuggets 108
‧ Mavericks 130, Trail Blazers 110
‧ Pistons 113, Kings 122
‧ Thunder 110, T’wolves 112
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