Kyrie Irving reminded the NBA community why he remains one of the most lethal scorers in the league, scoring 60 points in 35 minutes of action in a 150–108 win against the Magic on Tuesday.
The 60-point performance gave the seven-time All-Star a new career high in points. Irving did most of his damage in the first half against Orlando, pouring in 41—the second-most points in a half over the last 25 years behind Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, per AP’s Tim Reynolds.
Irving went 20-of-31 from the floor including 8-of-12 from three-point range and 12-of-13 from the free-throw line. His superb night comes just two days after Kevin Durant poured in 53 points in a win against the Knicks on Sunday. That makes the duo the first pair of teammates in NBA history to score 50 or more points in back-to-back games.
His performance also comes a day after Timberwolves star Karl Anthony-Towns logged a 60-piece in a victory against the Spurs on Monday, setting a new Minnesota franchise record.
The last time the NBA witnessed two 60-point performances in such close proximity was when David Thompson scored 73 while George Gervin scored 63 on Apr., 9, 1978.
Brooklyn (36–33) extended its current winning streak to four games and now sits 3.5 games behind the Cavaliers for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 13 games to play.
