Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving was on fire on Thursday night as his career-high 57 points lifted the Cavs over the San Antonio Spurs.
LeBron James had no choice but to sit back and enjoy as Irving dominated at the AT&T Center with a fadeaway three to send the game into overtime one of the key plays of the game.
Irving scored nine points in the final minute of regulation to tie the game and then added 11 more in overtime to snap San Antonio’s six-game winning streak and claim a huge win for the Cavs.
Spurs star Kawhi Leonard blamed himself for the loss as he missed two free-throws with 4.3 seconds left before Irving hit his three to tie it up.
Tony Parker led San Antonio with 31 points, six assists and five rebounds, but the night belonged to his rival point guard as Irving produced a performance that would have delighted coach David Blatt and the Cavs fans as much as anyone else.
Elsewhere, the New York Knicks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a game involving two struggling franchises. Tim Hardaway Jr put up 22 points as coach Derek Fisher returned to LA, while Jordan Hill responded with 19 points and 10 rebounds for the hosts.
However, there wasn’t much cause for celebration for either team given their plight this season as the Knicks (13-51) and Lakers (17-47) will look for a high Draft pick this summer and significant moves in free agency in order to compete next year.
Meanwhile, there was a shock in Utah as the Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets despite 25 points from Cory Brewer.
It was towering center Rudy Gobert who made the difference with 19 points and a staggering 22 rebounds, and he had this highlight play to put the cherry on top.
NBA Results
Milwaukee Bucks 103-109 Indian Pacers OT
Memphis Grizzlies 87-107 Washington Wizards
Houston Rockets 91-109 Utah Jazz
Cleveland Cavaliers 128-125 San Antonio Spurs
New York Knicks 101-94 Los Angeles Lakers
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