On a loaded Friday night slate, the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors were expected to deliver one of the best games of the night. And what an incredible game this was punctuated by incredible heroics from Kyrie Irving, who, at this time last year, couldn’t even have played in Toronto. He scored 32 points to lead Brooklyn, including a game-winning bucket to keep their winning streak alive.

With eight seconds to go and the game tied at 116, the Nets had two options as to who could take the potential game-winner. Kevin Durant and Irving have had their fair share of game-winners in the past. But it was obvious that the Nets were going to put the ball in their star point guard’s hands, and Fred VanVleet, Irving’s primary defender, snuffed out the initial play with a take foul. But that only set up Irving’s heroics.

Now with only 3.7 seconds left on the clock, Kyrie Irving found himself isolated on VanVleet yet again. And this time, Irving made it count. The 30-year old point guard took a few strong dribbles to his right then stopped on a dime, snatching the ball back with a nasty crossover to pull up for three in front of Fred VanVleet’s face. Ballgame.

KYRIE IRVING FOR THE WIN 🚨pic.twitter.com/nIqZtP8e4E

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 17, 2022

This was a fitting conclusion to what was an intense last few minutes. The game went back-and-forth, but it appeared as if the Nets were already on their way to a victory after Kyrie Irving set up Yuta Watanabe’s crucial trey with 15 seconds left. Scottie Barnes proceeded to hit two free throws after drawing a blocking foul. But it was only a setup for the Raptors’ heartbreak.

The Nets continue their ascent atop the Eastern Conference standings, now winners of five in a row. Meanwhile, the Raptors continue to tumble as they lose their third straight.