National Basketball Association
Brooklyn 132, Charlotte 121
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Officials: #70 Phenizee Ransom, #7 Lauren Holtkamp, #48 Scott Foster
Attendance: 17230

Kyrie Irving used torrid shooting to compile a season-high 50 points as the Brooklyn Nets defeated the host Charlotte Hornets 132-121 on Tuesday night.

The Nets snapped a four-game losing streak largely because of Irving, who shot 15-for-19 from the field, including 9-for-12 on 3-point attempts. He picked up other points on 11-for-13 free-throw shooting.

Irving has played in a limited number of games this season because of his unvaccinated status and restrictions that have prevented him from playing in home games. His previous season-high point total came Feb. 26 with 38 points in a loss at Milwaukee.

Irving, who played his 17th game of the season, entered the night averaging 24.7 points.

Andre Drummond racked up 20 points and 14 rebounds, Bruce Brown and Kevin Durant both had 14 points and Patty Mills added 12 points for Brooklyn, which produced its second-highest point total of the season. The production was sparked by 56.1 percent shooting from the field.

Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier each poured in 30 points, LaMelo Ball had 24 points and reserve Kelly Oubre Jr. posted 15 points for the Hornets, who lost for the ninth time in their past 11 home games. They entered the game on their first two-game winning streak overall since late January.

The teams began the night with matching 32-33 records, so playoff positioning was at stake even though there's more than a month remaining in the regular season.

Irving also contributed six assists.

The Hornets hit just 13-for-41 (31.7 percent) from 3-point range while the Nets were 18 of 35 (51.4 percent).

Irving had 20 points by halftime, when the Nets held a 69-43 advantage. Brooklyn scored 34 points in the first quarter and 35 in the second quarter.

Charlotte cut what had been a 34-point gap to 120-107 with four minutes to play but never made a serious threat.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Brooklyn   Charlotte
Kyrie Irving 50 Scoring Miles Bridges 30
Goran Dragic 7 Assists LaMelo Ball 7
Andre Drummond 14 Rebounds Terry Rozier 8
Kyrie Irving 11 Free Throws Made Miles Bridges 5
Bruce Brown 3 Steals Terry Rozier 3
Andre Drummond 2 Blocks Mason Plumlee 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Brooklyn 132 56.1 18-35 22-29 33 38 4 8 16
Charlotte 121 48.9 13-41 18-22 26 41 3 12 15
Upcoming Games
  • Charlotte will play their next game at home against Boston. The Hornets have a W/L % of .531 after a win and .441 after a loss.
  • Brooklyn will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Nets have a W/L % of .485 after a win and .515 after a loss.