Irving gets 40 as Nets edge Knicks for sweep
Brooklyn’s Harden lost to hamstring tightness
NEWYORK— Kyrie Irving scored 40 points and Jeff Green made two free throws with 3.7 seconds left as the Brooklyn Nets overcame the early loss of James Harden to beat the New York Knicks 114-112 on Monday night, sweeping the season series.
Harden returned after missing two games with right hamstring tightness but lasted just four minutes before having to leave again with the same injury.
But the Nets still have Irving, who wore down the Knicks’ defense with his dazzling dribbling moves that freed up space for jumpers, including a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left after New York had closed within two.
The Knicks scored five straight to tie it at 112 on Alec Burks’ 3-pointer and forced the ball out of Irving’s hands on Brooklyn’s next trip. Joe Harris missed a jumper, but Green got the rebound and was fouled.
After his free throws, Julius Randle missed a jumper as time expired.
Green scored 23 points and Joe Harris added 16 for the Nets, who won their eighth straight at home.
Randle had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in his fourth triple-double. RJ Barrett scored 22 points and Reggie Bullock added 21.
■ Mavericks 111, Jazz 103: At Dallas, Luka Doncic scored 31 points and Dorian Finney-smith added a season-high 23 for Dallas, which ended Utah’s nine-game winning streak.
■ Timberwolves 116, Kings 106: At Minneapolis, D’angelo Russell scored 25 points in his return from knee surgery and Karl-anthony Towns had 23 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota.
■ Pistons 132, Thunder 108: At Oklahoma City, Jerami Grant scored 21 points and Frank Jackson and Sekou Doumbouya scored 14 points apiece for Detroit.
■ Cavaliers 125, Spurs 101: At
San Antonio, Darius Garland scored a career-high 37 points and Collin Sexton added 22 points for Cleveland.
■ Raptors 103, Wizards 101:
At Tampa, Fla., Gary Trent Jr. beat the buzzer with a long 3-pointer as Toronto rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit.
■ Suns 133, Rockets 130: At Houston, Devin Booker scored 18 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter and Deandre Ayton matched a season high with 27 points as Phoenix won for the ninth time in 10 games overall.