Kyrie Irving delivered the form of celebrity efficiency that Nets followers dreamed of when he introduced he was signing with the crew this summer time. Chants of “Kyrie’s house!” rang out round Barclays Middle throughout the Nets’ season opener on Wednesday night time. There have been “M.V.P.” chants and loud roars when he touched the ball on his solution to 50 factors.
But it surely wasn’t sufficient to get the win. It was, fairly actually, inches in need of one.
Irving barely missed a last-second jumper in a 127-126 overtime loss towards the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However he gave a valiant effort, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing seven assists along with scoring 50 in his much-anticipated debut. It wasn’t fairly his profession excessive — that will be 57 factors — however Irving was the primary motive the Nets climbed out from underneath a double-digit deficit within the first half.
Irving got here out firing straight away, scoring 12 of the Nets’ first 19 factors. However Minnesota had a powerhouse playmaker of its personal: Karl-Anthony Cities, who matched Irving practically blow for blow, scoring 36 factors and grabbing 14 rebounds. Cities hit all 4 of his 3-pointers within the first half and grabbed 9 first-half rebounds — serving to the Timberwolves to a lead of as many as 18 factors.
However Irving saved the Nets from being run off the courtroom early, relentlessly attacking the basket on his solution to 25 first-half factors. Minnesota got here out with vitality from the beginning and acquired a big enhance from its reserves, significantly from the fourth-year ahead Jake Layman, who scored eight of Minnesota’s 22 first-half bench factors.
The Nets started mounting a comeback on the finish of the primary half, as Caris LeVert scored 6 factors in 40 seconds and a operating buzzer-beater from Spencer Dinwiddie reduce the deficit to 12 at halftime.
After the second half acquired underway, Irving’s supporting forged got here to life. The Nets instantly went on a 15-2 run and briefly took the lead. The explosion was triggered by Taurean Prince, a promising fourth-year ahead, who dropped 15 factors within the third quarter, and Dinwiddie, who added 7 in that body. The Nets entered the ultimate quarter up by 5.
Neither crew might generate momentum down the stretch, and the sport stayed shut. Jarrett Allen, the third-year Nets heart who acquired the beginning nod over the latest addition DeAndre Jordan, had an opportunity to win the sport on the free-throw line with 5 seconds left in regulation. A profession 73 p.c free-throw shooter, he missed each makes an attempt.
The sport went to additional time, the place Irving scored 7 of the Nets’ 11 factors, however his last-second shot rimmed out for a disappointing finish to what was in any other case a stellar first night time in a season of nice expectations.
The Nets started with a brand new take care of an low season makeover: Now helming the offense is Irving, who was signed this summer time as a free agent after a tumultuous season with the Boston Celtics. The Nets — partially because of Irving’s recruiting — additionally signed the veteran Jordan to bolster their frontcourt, in addition to one of the crown jewels of the off-season: Kevin Durant, who is anticipated to overlook the season with an Achilles’ damage. There was additionally the commerce for Prince, whom the Nets lately signed to a contract extension.
All of this got here along with the younger skills who emerged on final season’s playoff crew — such because the sharpshooting guard Joe Harris, Rodions Kurucs, Allen, Dinwiddie and LeVert.
Nets followers might be optimistic going ahead: Solely a handful of gamers can placed on a efficiency just like the one Irving gave Wednesday night time.