Kyrie Irving made his home debut with the Brooklyn Nets Sunday night vs the Charlotte Hornets.
With the vaccine mandate not in place for unvaccinated athletes and performers in New York, Irving was able to play at Barclays Center, eventually.
The All-Star guard spent 40 minutes on the floor and had 16 points and 11 assissts. However, he struggled offensively, shooting just 6/22 and 1/9 from beyond the arc.
Kyrie Irving missed 15 of his first 17 shots and the Nets dropped a crucial game in the battle for the eight place in the East (119-110).
“Not the result we wanted. I didn’t shoot it as well as I wanted, but that’s just basketball. I don’t take for granted what happened tonight.
I was grateful I had a chance to be out there with my brothers,” Kyrie Irving told reporters afterwards, via NBA.com.
“Kyrie knew this day was going to come. He just was patient. We all were, and we can move on,” Kevin Durant said of Irving’s home debut.
Prior to Sunday’s game, Kyrie Irving was eligible to play only on the road. He was averaging 27.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds.
For their part, the Nets are trying to build some momentum ahead of the play-in tournament. They are currently ninth in the standings, tied with the Hornets (39-36).
Seventh-placed Cleveland Cavaliers are 2,5 games above (41-33), while 10th-placed Atlanta Hawks just 1,5 games below (37-37).
Kyrie Irving will make his second home appearance on Tuesday, when the Nets host the Detroit Pistons at Barclays Center.
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