INDIANAPOLIS — Lance Stephenson had a record-setting performance in his return to Indianapolis as an Indiana Pacer, but it wasn't enough to top the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night.
Kyrie Irving scored 22 points and sparked Brooklyn to a big rally in the second half of his season debut, Kevin Durant had 39 and the Nets beat the Pacers 129-121.
Stephenson scored 20 straight points for the Pacers in the first quarter in a reserve role, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 20 points in a quarter when coming off the bench. He had 24 points at halftime and ended with 30 points for the game.
The player they call "Born Ready" was playing his third game for Indiana since being acquired from the Atlanta Hawks, but it was his first appearance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as a member of the home team since the 2017-2018 season.
Domantas Sabonis led the Pacers with 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a game in which the Pacers led 73-60 at halftime and 101-94 headed into the final quarter.
Irving is ineligible to play home games because he is not vaccinated as mandated in New York City, and the Nets had decided against allowing him to just play road games for most of the season.
But they changed their mind last month and were glad they did Wednesday, when Irving helped them charge back from a 19-point deficit.
The point guard played 32 minutes as Brooklyn snapped a three-game losing streak.
Indiana is back in action Saturday night when they host the Utah Jazz.
