Nets' Kyrie Irving sits out against Suns after scoring 40 vs. Kings

One night after scoring 40 points and helping the Nets set a franchise record with 27 made threes, Kyrie Irving was declared out of their game against the Suns in Phoenix with a sore lower back and relegated to a sideline seat with fellow Big 3 member Kevin Durant (left hamstring strain). Talk about par for the course, that perfectly characterized a season in which key injuries and COVID-19 protocols have derailed their bid to build consistency and chemistry at every turn.

Irving was spectacular against the Kings, making 15 of his 22 shots with a 9-for-11 performance from three-point range to go with the 6-for-10 effort from three by James Harden, who had a triple-double with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists. He was left as the only member of the Big 3 who was available against the Suns.

Reflecting on his team’s third straight win and the franchise-record 27-for-47 three-point shooting brilliance, coach Steve Nash said, "It’s hard to look past 27 threes. That’s the type of offensive output we’re capable of. For us, it’s really defense we’re trying to continue to work with. There was a middle stretch of the game I thought we were pretty solid defensively. We slowed them down, especially 20 points in the third quarter."

That’s when the Nets got separation, leading by 22 points in that period before expanding to a 28-point lead early in the fourth quarter and cruising to a 134-117 victory.

Harden echoed Nash’s perception of the Kings game, saying, "Offensively, we’re going to have nights like this, and then, we’re going to have nights where it’s a little more difficult. But I think what’s going to get us over the top is our defense. At halftime, coach talked to us and said we’ve got to guard somebody. We took it upon ourselves collectively to get stops, and they had 20 points in that third quarter."

Late in the third, the Nets had a stretch in which they outscored the Kings 23-4 to break the game open, including a trio of threes and 11 total points by Irving plus a pair of threes from Joe Harris. In the fourth period, backup center Jeff Green hit a pair of threes, and the Nets also got threes from Tyler Johnson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot plus Harden and Irving.

No one took more pleasure in the shooting display by Irving than Harden. "It’s a movie," Harden said. "It’s like a show. Sometimes I forget I’m on the court. He makes them look so effortless. It’s one of the reasons why I’m here. He makes the game easy for the rest of the team.

"When he has it going like that, obviously, we’re scoring at a high level, but he’s so unselfish. Once he’s starting to get double-teamed and surrounded, he is able to find shooters and his bigs. We love to see it."

Unfortunately, the Nets (17-12) weren’t going to see an encore against the Suns (17-9). That was a shame because it would have been another opportunity for the backcourt superstars to continue growing together.

Less than a week ago, Irving said he told Harden he was the point guard while Irving would content himself with a shooting guard role. Asked if that remark was significant in terms of crossing a bridge together, Harden said, "I don’t know if we necessarily crossed a bridge. That’s how the game was just going. That’s how he saw it, I saw it. For both of us, we have no problem with it.

"We’re both playmakers, and we’re both scorers. At any point, we both can get hot and get it going, and we’re also unselfish, so we can make plays for our team. Obviously, now that I’m getting familiar with Ky a little bit more, I know his spots and where he likes the ball and we just let him go and be free and do what he does at a high level because he’s one of the best that this game has ever seen doing that."

Notes & quotes: The Nets announced they signed free agent guard/forward Andre Roberson, a defensive specialist who spent six seasons with the Thunder and last played just seven games in the 2019-20 season while returning from a left knee injury. He was a second-team all-NBA defensive selection in 2017.

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.