Durant's 31 Points Power Nets Past Young, Hawks
The Nets, protecting their slim lead over Chicago for the best record in the Eastern Conference, improved to 8-0 following losses this season.
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The Nets, protecting their slim lead over Chicago for the best record in the Eastern Conference, improved to 8-0 following losses this season.
James Harden had 25 points for the Eastern Conference-leading Nets on a night when NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge both sat out for rest.
Kevin Durant scored 24 points, James Harden had 23 points and 12 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets beat Dallas 102-99 on Tuesday night, handing the Mavericks their fifth consecutive home loss.
The Bulls also beat the East-leading Nets on Nov. 8 and have clinched the season series.
Durant was 12 of 13 on free throws and Patty Mills added 23 points for the Nets, who won for the fifth time in six games and improved their Eastern Conference-leading record to 16-6.
In its 10th season, the matchup between teams just a few miles apart looked like a real rivalry.
The Nets put together a late push that allowed them to make the final score respectable on a night they had 20 turnovers, leading to 20 points.
It was Brooklyn's first visit to Boston since completing a Game 4 victory in the first round of last season's playoffs.
Kevin Durant returned to Brooklyn's lineup and scored 27 points, James Harden added 14 points and a season-high 14 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-112 on Monday.
Harden scored the final five from the free throw line as Brooklyn reduced its halftime deficit to 62-53.
Brooklyn improved to 11-5 with its eighth victory in 10 games.
Durant came in leading the league with 29.6 points per game, but he managed only 19, the first time all season he didn't hit 20.
Durant played eight seasons for the Thunder, winning four scoring titles and an MVP award before joining Golden State in 2016. Oklahoma City fans still haven't forgiven him for leaving in free agency.
James Harden highlighted a 39-point, 12-assist performance with a game-sealing 27-foot 3-pointer with 29 seconds left.
Durant, the NBA's leading scorer at 29.5 points per game, made 11 of 12 shots, including both of his 3-point attempts, to help Brooklyn win for the sixth time in seven games.
