9. Duke basketball product Kyrie Irving scores 46 for the Cavaliers
- Date: March 3, 2017
- Venue: Staples Center (Los Angeles)
- Game result: The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 125-120
- The number of times in NBA history a player has scored 46 points or more: 1,177
This outing took place during his sixth season in the league after going No. 1 overall at the 2011 NBA Draft following a one-and-done Duke basketball campaign. A 24-year-old Kyrie Irving poured in 46 points against the Lakers while shooting 15-for-21 from the field, including a 6-for-10 clip from 3-point land, and 10-for-10 from the foul line.
Irving also finished with two rebounds, three assists, and three turnovers in his 38 minutes of action.
Across that season, which was his last in Cleveland before ending up with the Boston Celtics via an offseason trade, Irving averaged 25.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists for a Cavaliers squad that went 51-31 and then reached the NBA Finals before losing to the Golden State Warriors in five games.