Kyrie Irving Credits 'Mamba Mentality' For 54-Point Performance
Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 54 points in the Brooklyn Nets\' 133-118 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Irving spoke of paying tribute to Kobe Bryant\'s memory with his performance.
\"It\'s an open wound. But I think just coming out here, knowing that this is a place where we connected on a deeper scale, it makes a lot of sense, what\'s happening. I hit a few shots in the first half. I had to keep it going and [use the] Kobe mentality, Mamba mentality,\" Irving said. \"[I had to] keep going, keep going, so it felt good, felt good,\" said Irving.
Irving made all of his 10 first-half field goals and shot 19-of-23 from the field.
Kenny Atkinson added that Irving\'s success from 3 opened up the rest of his game.
\"Well, when you\'re that hot, you expect a guy to go down, [and] it usually happens [because] you\'re so hot, but it never happened. Even that fast-break one at the end, where he kind of served it around and hit a tough shot, [a] pull-up in the lane. I think he was 8-for-8 at the rim. His finishing was superb. And when he shoots it like that from 3, [he\'s] tough to stop, tough guard,\" said Atkinson.
