Kevin Durant scored a game-high 33 points as the Brooklyn Nets trounced the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-96 on Sunday, Nov. 14.
Durant, the league’s scoring leader, spent eight seasons with OKC before broadening his horizons to join Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, followed by making a move to play with Kyrie Irving on the Nets.
In the first half he tallied 18 points and finished the night making 9 of 17 field goals along with eight rebounds. Patty Mills exploded for 29 points off the bench with a career-high nine 3-pointers in the win.
The Thunder kept it close in the first quarter, but went into the second half down 61-48.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reduced the damage with a 3-pointer that brought the Thunder within eight points. But the Nets went on a run to go up 16 heading into the final frame.
Brooklyn could not be stopped, tacking on an additional 30 points to OKC’s 22 in the fourth quarter.
James Harden finished the night with a double-double after recording 16 points and 13 assists. Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 23 points, followed by 20 points from Lu Dort. The Nets win snapped the Thunders’ four-game win streak.
Overall, the Nets connected on 50% of their field goals and 41.9% of their 3-pointers. They also recorded 11 more assists than their competitors.
Brooklyn sits in second place in the Eastern Conference and won eight of nine overall and five of six on their road trip.
The Nets (10-4) return to Barclays Center Tuesday, Nov. 16 to take on the Western Conference’s top-seeded Warriors (11-2). OKC (5-7) will finish the back end of a back-to-back against the Eastern Conference’s No. 5 seeded Miami Heat (8-5).
(Photo: USA Today Sports)
