TORONTO — Kyrie Irving has hit a litany of big shots, including one of the most memorable championship-winners in history. But he’d never hit an NBA buzzer-beater — until Friday, when he beat both the horn and the Raptors.
Irving’s high-arcing shot was at its apex when the final horn sounded. And when it sliced the net, it delivered a come-from-behind, 119-116 victory over Toronto.
With the Nets having gotten off the mat to fight back from 18 points down, Irving delivered the knockout punch. He took a couple dribbles to the right, shook Fred VanVleet with a step back and shook the sellout crowd of 19,800 at Scotiabank Arena with his 27-foot winner.
It gave the Nets (18-12) their season-high fifth straight victory and ninth in their last 10 games. Oh, and it gave Irving a first he’ll cherish.
“Just comes with the trust that we’re building here,” Irving said. “Jacque [Vaughn] had another play called that we were about that go execute. Me and [Kevin Durant] had some dialogue, and we decided to run the play for me. Good matchup versus Fred and just got the just got the better of him that one time.
“Who would’ve thought that I’d come into Toronto, hit my first game-winner, buzzer-beater in my NBA career? So, pray that there’s more in the future. But I’m glad that we got this one.”
Irving poured in 15 of his team-high 32 points in the fourth quarter. Durant finished with 28 and got the call for an isolation, but told Vaughn he’d defer to the white-hot Irving.
Good call.
“I just felt like kind of going in the whole fourth, he made big shots, he made tough shots all fourth,” Durant said. “And he’s already cooking so I don’t want to get in his way. So we kept finding him late in the game. He made some big shots.”
Durant knew the Raptors (13-16) would trap him but wouldn’t run a double-team at Irving for fear of him going by. And he was confident Irving could beat VanVleet, the diminutive guard who had a game-high 39.
He was right on both counts.
“He definitely has a inner peace and poise that you have to have at that situation to not panic,” Vaughn gushed. “… And he has an innate ability to get to his spot.”
“Just playing free. That’s just who he is: He’s a free spirit and he takes that approach on the court,” Durant said. “Never rattled, never feels sped up. And we trust him. Once he got into his move, it was a wide-open look. He’s an all-time great shooter, so I had confidence as soon as he rose up for the shot that was going in. I’m sure everybody back in Brooklyn and on the bench felt the same way.”
It was the Nets’ first buzzer-beater since March 21, 2017 (Brook Lopez versus Detroit), and it gave them a 4-0 season sweep of the Raptors.
Nic Claxton added 15 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high six blocks. Yuta Watanabe had 17 off the bench on 6-for-7 shooting against his former team.
Trailing, 62-44, with 1:17 left in the first half after a Pascal Siakam 3-pointer, the Nets closed the half with eight unanswered points, which grew to a 14-0 spurt that spanned intermission.
It proved to be the start of a game-changing extended 35-14 run. The Nets shot 10 of 13 and held Toronto to 5-for-18 shooting — including 0-for-6 from deep.
Durant gave the Nets the lead, and Watanabe’s fast-break finger roll made it 79-76 with three minutes left in the third.
The Nets shot 70 percent in the fourth behind Irving’s outburst. The final period saw two ties and four lead changes, with Irving’s 3-pointer the last and most dramatic.
Irving had found Watanabe for a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left for a 116-114 lead. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes (26 points) tied it, but then Irving untied it.
“I felt like, as soon as he took the shot, I knew that was going in,” Watanabe said. “From the corner, I was watching it. It looks perfect, so I knew that was going in.”
