Kyrie Irving scores season-high 50, leads Nets over Hornets

March 9 (UPI) -- All-Star guard Kyrie Irving made 15 of 19 field goals as part of a 50-point performance to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 132-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Irving also made nine 3-pointers and 11 free throws in the stellar showing Tuesday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

''It felt like a must-win night,'' Irving told reporters. ''I'm not saying the other nights didn't feel like that, but you have to go into that deep place where you aren't distracted by anything that is going on.''

He is now one of just 22 players in NBA history with at least five career 50-point games. His last was a 54-point performance on Jan. 31, 2020, in a Nets win over the Chicago Bulls. He scored a career-high 57 in a 2015 Cleveland Cavaliers win over the San Antonio Spurs.

"It looked so easy tonight," Nets forward Kevin Durant said of Irving. "I looked up and he had 10 points and it felt like he had taken two shots.''

Tuesday's game featured just two lead changes. The Hornets outscored the Nets 60-46 in the paint, 24-23 off fast breaks and 41-25 off the bench.

The Nets edged the Hornets 24-23 in points off turnovers and 56.1 to 48.9 in field goal percentage. They also made 51.4% of their 3-pointers and led by as many as 34 points in the victory.

Irving poured in a dozen in 7:46 of action in the first quarter. The Nets took a 34-20 edge into the second and led 69-43 at halftime.

Irving scored 14 in the third. The Hornets outscored the Nets 41-31 in the frame, but still trailed 100-84 to start the fourth. Irving then splashed in 16 over the final 12 minutes to seal the victory.

Nets center Andre Drummond totaled 20 points and 14 rebounds in the win. Durant and fellow Nets forward Bruce Brown chipped in 14 points apiece. Nets guard Patty Mills scored a dozen off the bench.

Hornets forward Miles Bridges and guard Terry Rozier scored 30 points apiece in the loss. Hornets guard LaMelo Ball scored 24 points.

The Hornets (32-34) host the Boston Celtics (39-27) at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday in Charlotte. The Nets (33-33) face the Philadelphia 76ers (40-24) at 7:30 p.m. EST Thursday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.