The Nets beat the Magic 150-108 today, and Irving performed quite well, playing 35 minutes, shooting 20-of-31, 8-of-12 three-pointers, 12-of-13 from the free throw line, and scoring 60 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, scoring a career high and a new nets all-time high.
In the first half, Irving made 14-of-19 and had 41 points, three rebounds and three assists, becoming the third player in the past 25 seasons to finish 40+ in the first half. Comparable to Kobe Bryant (2003, 42 points) and Thompson (2016, 40 points).
In addition, Irving also became the second player to cut 40+ at half-time in the Nets' past 25 seasons, and Delong has also had such a performance, but only in the second half. Delong scored 40 points in the second half of the match on March 4, 2012, 57 points in the whole game. Set a Nets all-time record, and Irving broke that record today.
Irving's 41 points were also the most scored in the half since Booker in 2017, who scored 51 points in the second half when he faced the Celtics on March 24, 2017. It is worth mentioning that Towns just cut 60+ yesterday and scored 36 points in the second half. This is also the first time since 1962 that a player has cut 60+ for two consecutive days, and in 1962, Chamberlain himself did this.
Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game and scored 41 points in the first half. However, due to the large point difference, Irving only scored 19 points in the second half, and after scoring 60 points, he closed the army. The NBA's first-half scoring record of 53 points was set on April 9, 1978 by David Thompson and George Gervin, who chased the top scorer on the final day of the season, scoring both high scores.
At the end of the third quarter, Irving had already cut a 50+, the second time he had cut a 50+ this season, and his last 50+ was just in a week. Irving thus became the fourth player to make multiple 50+ this season, and he did it last season. It is worth mentioning that Irving's former Cavaliers teammate James has just achieved the feat of cutting 50+ twice in a week, and now Irving has done it.
In the last Game of the Nets victory over the Knicks, Durant only cut 53 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals, and Durant and Irving became the first pair in NBA history to be able to cut 50+ in consecutive games. The Nets have won four straight games after today's game, with 3 50+ appearances in 4 games.
In the past ten days, there have been 7 50+ appearances in the league, of which Irving and James have each scored 2, and Tatum, Durant and Downs have each. This season, 13 players in the league have also cut 50+, equaling the historical record.