NETS ON A ROLL
Durant (31 points), Harden (28) help Brooklyn grab fifth straight victory
TORONTO — Kevin Durant had 31 points, James Harden scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Brooklyn Nets won their fifth straight game, beating the Toronto Raptors 116-103 on Sunday.
“Our defense was there when we needed it to be,” Durant said. “We got stops and made shots.”
Harden narrowly missed his second straight triple-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
“When he’s at that level, he makes us go,” Brooklyn’s Blake Griffin said about Harden. “We, as a team, can go to a different level.”
Harden missed his first seven shots from beyond the arc before connecting with 4:34 left to play the fourth, extending a seven-point Nets lead to double digits. He added two more from distance in the final quarter.
“James was special there in the fourth,” Durant said.
Griffin had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Patty Mills scored 13 points to help Steve Nash earn the victory in his first game in his home country as an NBA head coach.
“That means a lot,” Nash said. “This is a very special place for me. Not only Canada, but Toronto. I’ve spent so much of my time here, I have so many close friends, relationships, and memories in this city. For me, this is definitely a sweet win.”
Durant reached 20 points for the 10th straight game, extending both his career-best streak to begin a season and the Nets’ record for 20-point games at the start of a season.
Durant was playing in Toronto for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon while playing for Golden State in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
Raptors forward Pascal Siakam from New Mexico State made his first start of the season after missing the first 10 games because of left shoulder surgery. Siakam scored 15 points in 25 minutes.
“My legs were heavy,” Siakam said. “I was out of breath after about three minutes.”
WARRIORS 120, ROCKETS 107: In San Francisco, Jordan Poole scored 15 of his 25 points in the first quarter and Golden State beat Houston.
Poole also had five assists and four rebounds, shooting 7 of 13 from the field and 9 for 9 from the free throw line.
Stephen Curry added 20 points and three steals to help the NBAleading Warriors improve to 8-1 with their fourth victory in a row.
Jae’Sean Tate led Houston with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Daniel Theis had 14. The Rockets have lost eight straight and are tied with New Orleans at an NBA-worst 1-9.
CLIPPERS 120, HORNETS 106: In Los Angeles, Paul George scored 20 points, Reggie Jackson added 19 and the Clippers beat Charlotte for their fourth straight victory.
Luke Kennard had 18 points, and Terance Mann finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Down 13 in the first quarter and in a nine-point hole with less than seven minutes remaining, the Clippers had a 22-0 run to take a 115-102 lead.
LaMelo Ball, from nearby Chino Hills, had 21 points for the Hornets in their fourth straight loss. Ball played his first game in Los Angeles since a right wrist fracture against the Clippers last March.
WIZARDS 101, BUCKS 94: In Washington, Bradley Beal scored 30 points and Washington beat the defending NBA champions.
Beal had his second game of the season with at least 30 points. He averaged more than 30 in each of the past two seasons.
Kyle Kuzma added 15 points and 10 rebounds to help Washington snap an eight-game losing streak in the series with Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 18 rebounds for the Bucks. They have lost five of six.
Grayson Allen scored 19 points, and Bobby Portis had 13 points and 13 rebounds as the Bucks dropped the first game on a five-game trip.
CAVALIERS 126, KNICKS 109: In New York, Ricky Rubio scored a career-high 37 to help Cleveland beat New York.
Cleveland has won four in a row. Evan Mobley added 26 points, Jarrett Allen had 18 and Darius Garland 16.
Rubio’s previous career high was 34 with Utah against San Antonio in 2018.
Julius Randle led New York with 19 points.
MAGIC 107, JAZZ 100: In Orlando, Fla., Cole Anthony scored 10 of his career-best 33 points in the fourth quarter and keyed a game-closing 24-11 run in Orlando’s victory over Utah.
Wendell Carter Jr. added a season-best 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Donovan Mitchell scored 21 points for Utah. Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 15 rebounds.
PACERS 94, KINGS 91: In Sacramento, Calif., Caris LeVert scored 22 points and Indiana held off Sacramento after blowing a 15-point lead.
Domontas Sabonis had 17 points and 10 rebounds to help Indiana to its first win in Sacramento since 2018. T.J. McConnell added 17 point.
Harrison Barnes scored 22 points for Sacramento.
THUNDER 99, SPURS 94: In Oklahoma City, Mike Muscala scored 20 points in 14 minutes and Oklahoma City rallied to beat San Antonio.
Muscala made 5 of 6 field goals and 7 of 9 free throws in one of the most productive offensive games of his career.