MANILA, Philippines – Kyrie Irving dropped a season-high 30 points to help the Brooklyn Nets hold off the Washington Wizards, 119-118, at the Capital One Arena in Washington on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time).
In just his fifth game for the Nets this season due to his vaccination status, Irving led all scorers in the game as Brooklyn missed Kevin Durant, who's out due to injury.
Irving scored all but eight of his scoring total in the first half.
The Nets squandered a lead as big as 16 against the Wizards as the latter uncorked scoring runs in the fourth quarter.
Kyle Kuzma converted on a 3-pointer with 36.6 ticks left to get the Wizards to within one point.
Both Irving and James Harden then missed opportunities in the next possession to keep the door wide open for the Wizards comeback.
But Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. did not call a timeout to draw up the final play.
Kuzma and Spencer Dinwiddie ended up missing potential game winning shots as the Nets held on for the win.
Playing supporting role to Irving was Harden, who flirted with a triple-double with 18 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
Bradley Beal led six Wizards in twin-digit scoring with 23 points in the losing effort.
Elsewhere, the Chicago Bulls snapped their four-game losing slump as they nipped the Cleveland Cavaliers, 117-104, at the United Center.
DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic connived for 54 points as the Bulls remained on top of the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls outscored the Cavaliers in the second quarter, 34-20, to blow the game wide open.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks sent the Memphis Grizzlies to their second loss in three games, 126-114.
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a double-double of 33 points and 15 rebounds to pace the defending champions.
Antetokounmpo got the better of Ja Morant, who also finished with monster numbers of 33 points and 14 dimes.
In other games, the San Antonio Spurs got back in the win column with a 118-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dejounte Murray had a triple double of 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists to lead the Spurs' efforts.
Also taking wins were the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets who beat the Portland Trailblazers and Boston Celtics, respectively.
The Atlanta Hawks, for their part, bested the Minnesota Timberwolves, 134-122, behind Trae Young's 37 points.
MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid, meanwhile, led the Philadelphia 76ers over the Orlando Magic, 123-110, with a 50-point outburst at the Wells Fargo Center.