On Friday, November 18th, the NBA’s defending champions squared off against the Detroit Pistons inside Quicken Loans Arena. The result, you ask? Well, Cleveland basically trounced the Pistons in a 104-81 victory.
Cleveland’s large margin of victory wasn’t the only note-worthy story of that night, though. In just 29 fantastic minutes of playing time, Cavaliers point guard, Kyrie Irving, played his way into record books.
Irving finished Friday night’s win with 25 points (11-15 from the field, 3-4 from the three-point line), 11 assists, two rebounds, one steal, and zero turnovers. It’s hard enough to score 25 points and add in 11 helpers, but to do that without a single turnover? Needless to say, it was a pretty special performance by Irving…
Kyrie Irving had a pretty incredible game last night. 25 PTS, 11 ASTS, 0 TO's on 73% FG.
(Credit @bball_ref for the stat, h/t @Cavsanada) pic.twitter.com/0fKO9nhQ5e— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 20, 2016
According to Basketball Reference, Irving’s performance on Friday places him alongside former legendary Utah Jazz point guard, John Stockton. Together, the two became the only ones between the 1983-84 and 2016-17 seasons to have recorded 25 or more points and 11 or more assists without a single turnover while shooting 73% or better from the field.
In a game against the Portland Trailblazers in December of 1989, Stockton put on a similar show. In 41 minutes of playing time, Stockton tallied 33 points (12-14 from the field, 2-2 from beyond the arc), 15 assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
Some records seem to be broken more easily than others. Other milestone achievements seem unattainable. For a scoring point guard, who has been a little susceptible to turnovers throughout his career, to join the ranks of John Stockton is certainly an impressive feat.
