Thursday 24 October 2019 08:28, UK
Kyrie Irving starred in his Brooklyn Nets regular-season debut with 50 points but could not prevent his team from falling to a 127-126 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Karl-Anthony Towns answered Irving's 50-point performance with 36 points and 14 rebounds as the T-Wolves spoiled the party in the season opener at Barclays Center.
The point total was the seventh-best in franchise history and the most by a Nets player making his debut, eclipsing the 30 posted by Hall of Famer Nate "Tiny" Archibald with then-New Jersey in 1976 as well as D'Angelo Russell in 2017.
Irving racked up his half-century on 17-of-33 shooting, including hitting seven of his 14 attempts from three-point range. He also went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Irving showcased the full range of his slick offensive skills, executing a trademark spin move before unfurling a deft finish in the second quarter.
He followed that up with an exchange of passes with Caris LeVert before driving baseline and scoring with a reverse scoop despite being fouled.
The Nets saw a 98-90 lead evaporate in the fourth quarter, with Towns drilling a step-back three-pointer to cap an 11-0 run and another to give the Timberwolves a 104-100 advantage with 5:42 remaining.
But Irving countered with a pair of three-pointers of his own to give the Nets a 115-112 lead before Towns answered from behind the arc to send the game into overtime.
After the T-Wolves fought their way to a 127-126 lead in the final seconds of the extra session, Irving had the ball in his hands on the final possession, but the six-time All-Star lost his footing off the dribble and forced a shot that caromed off the rim as time expired.
