Irving hits 40 points as Nets beat Knicks in 'Battle of the Big Apple'

Apr 07, 2021 06:00 am

Kyrie Irving delivered a 40-point masterpiece yesterday morning (Singapore time) as the Brooklyn Nets sealed a 114-112 comeback win over the New York Knicks in the "Battle of the Big Apple".

A wild encounter at the Barclays Center saw the lead change hands 15 times and Brooklyn, who lost James Harden after just four minutes due to hamstring tightness, clawed back a 14-point second-quarter deficit to grab the win.

Irving's virtuoso display received backing from Jeff Green, whose 23 points included a pair of free-throws with 3.7 seconds left, while Joe Harris had 16 points.

Irving praised Brooklyn's resilience in battling back from a double-digit deficit, saying: "We just want to stick together. We've had injuries, but we just want to keep playing hard."

Elsewhere, Luka Doncic scored 31 points in the Dallas Mavericks' 111-103 victory over Western Conference leaders Utah Jazz, who had been chasing a 10th straight win. - AFP