Durant scores 31, leads Nets past Timberwolves
Kevin Durant scored 31 points on 11for-15 shooting in his most productive performance in 2 ½ months, as the Brooklyn Nets blew out the Minnesota Timberwolves 12797 on Tuesday afternoon.
The game was rescheduled from the previous night, in the aftermath of a fatal police shooting of a Black man in a nearby suburb. The Timberwolves held a moment of silence before tipoff for 20-year-old Daunte Wright, who was killed after a traffic stop.
Durant played 27 minutes in his third game back from a strained left hamstring that kept him out for 23 games. The Nets, missing James Harden, Kyrie Irving and LaMarcus Aldridge, were in command from the jump and ahead by 23 points before the midpoint of the second quarter. They built their lead as big as 45 points early in the fourth quarter.
Joe Harris pitched in 23 points for the Nets, who had 31 assists on 46 made baskets.
Anthony Edwards had 27
points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves, who played without Karl-Anthony Towns on the oneyear anniversary of his mother’s death from COVID-19 complications. CLIPPERS 126, PACERS 115 » Paul George continued to dominate his former team by scoring 36 points, leading Los Angeles past Indiana.
The Clippers have won six straight and 12 of 14 overall.
George also had seven
rebounds and eight assists while improving to 4-0 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since being traded by the Pacers to Oklahoma City in July 2017.
Indiana was led by Malcolm Brogdon’s 29 points. Caris LeVert scored 26 as the Pacers snapped a threegame losing streak. HAWKS 107, RAPTORS 10 » Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 23 points, Clint Capela added 19 points and 21 rebounds, and Atlanta beat Toronto for its seventh win in eight games.
Kevin Huerter had 14 of his 17 points in the first half for Atlanta, and Brandon Goodwin added 18 points.
Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 30 points and rookie Malachi Flynn scored 22.
The Hawks played a second straight game without Trae Young after Young’s 42-point, nine-assist performance against Chicago on Friday night. Young has a left calf contusion. LAKERS 101, HORNETS 93 » Kyle Kuzma scored 24 points, and Los Angeles held on for a win against a Charlotte team missing five of its top six score rs.
Dennis Schroder added 19 points and Andre Drummond chipped in with 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who closed out a sevengame road trip with a 4-3 record to remain in fifth place in the Western Conference.
Devonte Graham led the Hornets with 19 points. Caleb Martin had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lakers held the Hornets to 43.4% shooting overall and 25.7% from 3-point range.