Kyrie Irving scores 42 points, Nets beat Rockets to move to 8th

Kyrie Irving scored 42 factors and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Houston Rockets 118-105 on Tuesday night time to enhance their place within the race for play-in seeding.

Irving had 17 factors within the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant added 18 factors, Bruce Brown had 15 and Cam Thomas 13 for the Nets. Andre Drummond completed with 10 factors and 11 rebounds.

With Cleveland, Atlanta and Charlotte all dropping, the Nets climbed right into a tie for eighth place within the Japanese Convention, simply 1 1/2 video games behind the Cavaliers. The No. 7 seed hosts a recreation to open the event.

Kevin Porter Jr scored a season-high 36 factors and Jalen Inexperienced added 30 for the Rockets.

The Nets led by as many as 21 factors late within the third quarter, however a 15-0 Houston run introduced the Rockets inside 90-84. Irving scored the sport’s subsequent eight factors and Brooklyn held a double-digit lead the remainder of the best way.

The Nets led by 9 early, however a 12-2 Houston run capped by Alperen Sengun’s breakaway dunk gave the Rockets their solely lead of the sport, 18-17.

Brooklyn scored the following eight factors and led 30-25 after the primary quarter.

After the Rockets tied the sport at 32, the Nets went on a 10-0 run. They elevated their result in 51-37 on Kessler Edwards’ brief jumper with 5:14 left within the half and went into halftime up 64-47 following Irving’s 3-pointer with 44 seconds remaining.

Porter’s 3-pointer minimize it to 77-65 halfway by way of the third quarter however the Nets scored the following seven factors and took their greatest lead at 90-69 on Thomas’ brief jumper with 1:21 remaining within the quarter.

However these had been the final factors Brooklyn scored till Irving’s jumper with 8:33 left within the recreation snapped that 15-0 Houston run.

Sengun added 14 factors and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who’ve misplaced 5 straight video games and have the worst report within the NBA.

TIP-INS:

Rockets: No Houston participant has seen motion in every of the workforce’s 80 video games this season. Kenyon Martin Jr. has performed in probably the most (77), whereas Jae’Sean Tate (75) has probably the most begins.

Nets: Seth Curry (left ankle soreness), Goran Dragic (well being and security protocols) and James Johnson (non-Covid sickness) had been all out of the Brooklyn lineup. … LaMarcus Aldridge performed for the primary time since March 6.

UNFAMILIAR FACES

Brooklyn debuted a brand new beginning 5 on Tuesday (Durant, Brown, Drummond, Patty Mills, Irving). They turned the forty third totally different beginning lineup in Brooklyn’s 79 video games. General, 19 gamers have made no less than one begin for the Nets this season.

PASSING OF A FRANCHISE FIXTURE

Herb Turetzky, who was the Nets’ official scorer for 54 years throughout a number of leagues and states, died Monday at 76. Turetzky was a senior at Lengthy Island College when he scored the primary recreation in franchise historical past — when the New Jersey Individuals of the American Basketball Affiliation hosted the Pittsburgh Pipers on Oct. 23, 1967, in Teaneck, New Jersey. He went on to attain greater than 2,200 video games, a report for professional basketball video games that was licensed within the Guinness E-book of World Data.

“He was a beloved determine inside the group and past,” coach Steve Nash stated. “We need to be sure his household acknowledges how vital he was to the franchise and the way our ideas are with them right now.”

UP NEXT

Rockets: Houston visits Toronto on Friday.

Nets: Brooklyn visits New York on Wednesday.