Duke basketball product breaks record, hits buzzer-beater
By Matt Giles
Former Duke basketball star RJ Barrett continues to flirt with NBA stardom.
On Tuesday night, former Duke basketball one-and-done RJ Barrett set a new franchise record by becoming the only New York Knicks player in history to tally four 30-point games before turning 22 years old, breaking a tie with Kristaps Porzingis. Three of Barrett’s 30-burgers are from this season, the 6-foot-6 guard’s third in the league after going No. 3 overall at the 2019 NBA Draft.
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The latest occurrence came in a 104-94 home win over the Indiana Pacers. Barrett finished the contest with 32 points, eight rebounds, and three assists while shooting 12-for-20 from the field, 2-for-5 from the foul line, and 6-for-8 from the charity stripe.
A wild buzzer-beater from the Duke basketball alum
Two days after RJ Barrett’s 32-point outing, the 21-year-old faced another young NBA Blue Devil in 23-year-old Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Although Tatum wound up with a team-high 36 points, Barrett is the one who delivered the New York Knicks a 108-105 home win in the end. And he did so with Tatum guarding him.
Barrett finished with only 13 points across his 33 minutes on the court, but his final three points were of the bank variety at the buzzer and ought to remain in his memory bank forever. With the game tied and 1.5 seconds left on the clock, the Canadian southpaw caught the inbound pass and proceeded to do this:
As a full-time starter, Barrett is now averaging 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists this season.
RJ Barrett and the New York Knicks, who now sit No. 10 in the Eastern Conference standings with a 19-20 record, will face the Boston Celtics again at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday. This time, the game will take place in Boston.
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