Irving explodes with 50 points in Nets win over Hornets in the NBA

Star Kyrie Irving made nine 3-pointers and scored a season-high 50 points, and the Brooklyn Nets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 132-121 NBA victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.

The star basket player became one of 22 players in NBA history with five 50-point games.

His career high is 57 points, scored on March 12, 2015, while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers in an overtime win against the San Antonio Spurs.

Veteran center Andre Drummond dominated under the boards with 20 points and 14 rebounds for Brooklyn, which returned to the .500 mark on the season and moved into sole possession of eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, to move away from the Hornets.

Forward Miles Bridges and guard Terry Rozier each finished with 30 points for Charlotte, which had its two-game winning streak snapped. LaMelo Ball added 24 points and seven assists.

Fellow star Kevin Durant had a low-key night by his lofty standards, finishing with 14 points for the Nets. But he didn’t have to make much of an effort as Irving took control for most of the game.

Irving completed 15 of 19 shots from the field and 9 of 12 from beyond the arc. He was also 11-of-13 from the foul line.

The Nets took a 69-43 lead thanks to Irving’s 20 points in the first half and a dominant interior performance from Drummond, who had 13 points and six rebounds before halftime.

The Hornets committing repeated turnovers with very bad passes, including two by Ball on consecutive possessions.

The Brooklyn quintet led by 34 points in the second half before the Hornets cut the lead to 13 points with less than four minutes left in the game.

In Indianapolis, basket player Darius Garland rallied with 41 points and 13 assists and hit a pair of game-winning free throws with 14 seconds left to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 127-124 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers had gone ahead 124-122 with 40 seconds left on Malcolm Brogdon’s layup, but Evan Mobley tied the game before Garland put the Cavs ahead on his free throws.

Lamar Stevens made a free throw and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton missed a desperate shot at the buzzer.

Mobley finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds and Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen added 21 points for Cleveland, which has won two in a row after losing six of seven previous meetings.

The Pacers’ leading scorer was Haliburton with 25 points, and Duane Washington Jr., Jalen Smith and Gogh Bitadze each added 15 points.

Indiana led 98-90 after three quarters, but Cleveland scored the first nine points of the final quarter to put the victory on track.

– Tuesday results in the NBA:

Cleveland a Indiana 127-124

Phoenix a Orlando 102-99

Brooklyn a Charlotte 132-121

Memphis a New Orleans 132-111

– In Game:

Milwaukee vs Oklahoma

– Later:

Golden State vs LA Clippers

meh/atm

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