Call him the road warrior. Or call him the best road act in the NBA.
New York City’s vaccine mandate prevents Nets fans from watching Kyrie Irving at Barclays Center, but the globe-trotting point guard made new fans in San Antonio as he danced around, across and on top of the Spurs to lead the Nets to a 117-102 victory at the AT&T Center on Friday.
In typical Irving fashion, the Nets guard blasted Gregg Popovich’s squad with flurries of scoring barrages. He finished with 24 points and four assists, scoring the Nets’ first eight points of the night, then going for 13 in the fourth quarter..
More importantly, Irving saved the Nets from what was shaping out to be an ugly and embarrassing finish in San Antonio.
After all, it’s the superstar power the Nets lean on to mask their deficiencies. They have 10 new players on the roster this season, a second-year head coach continuing to learn on the job, a defense that — up until San Antonio — had regressed beyond recognition, not to mention they have been targeted by the injury bug floating about New York City.
Case in point: As Irving has gotten his footing as a part-time player, Kevin Durant (MCL sprain) is out until at least the All-Star break, Joe Harris remains out recovering from ankle surgery, and Nic Claxton missed another game with left hamstring tightness.
Yet absences included, the Nets still boast far more star power than the Spurs on a good day, and it’s the reason they won a game that was starting to get away from them in the second half.
That much has been a constant for a Nets team that has played below the heightened expectations they set for themselves this season: More often than not, the Nets have had more talent than their opponent at their disposal, but have not been able to break-away. Oftentimes, these games have been decided in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, victories that have often been characterized as “ugly.”
The Nets haven’t handled business early. They’ve let teams hang around, and eventually, a more-than winnable game becomes a barnburner in the fourth.
That’s where the superstar-power comes into play, and it’s where Irving’s return opens up the entire offense for his team. Harden played one of his most aggressive games of the season, and the supporting cast picked up the slack.
Even without Durant, Irving has helped restore order. He is as sensational now as he was before spending three months away from basketball to start this season. James Harden finished with a 37-point triple-double and LaMarcus Aldrdige scored 16 points off the bench in his return to San Antonio. But it was Irving’s aggressive attack that set the tone.
“When you’re that elite, and your skill level is that high, and you’re that accurate and efficient, he’s gonna unlock a lot of things,” coach Steve Nash said of Irving. “We don’t have a ton of guys who can get in the paint; he brings that. You don’t have a ton of guys that are exceptional pulling up in the mid-range, especially with Kevin out; he gives you that. He spaces the floor with his three-point range and accuracy. He’s a terrific finisher. He can be a one-man fast break. So you add it all up, he does add a lot to our program. And when he’s on the floor, whether he has the ball or not, he makes us better.”
That order, however, was restored against a team well outside the playoff picture, and the Nets have historically struggled against elite championship contenders, bagging their first victory against one in Chicago against the Bulls.
The Nets are winners of five of their last eight games — including two wins against the Spurs, one each against the Wizards, Pelicans and Bulls. Next up: a hungry Minnesota Timberwolves team with three young stars (D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards) who will pose a significant challenge for these Nets, even with Irving on the floor.
