Durant, Harden lead Nets to tough road win against Mavericks
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 Eastern Conference-leading Nets erased a 17-point third-quarter deficit to avoid back-toback losses for the first time this season. Brooklyn squandered a double-digit lead after halftime in a loss to Chicago.
Luka Doncic scored 28 points but had another rough night from 3-point range except for the 30footer he banked in just before the first-half buzzer. Kristaps Porzingis had 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Harden, who also had nine rebounds, easily beat Doncic one-on-one for a layup and Brooklyn’s biggest lead at 100-97 with 1:23 remaining. The Nets didn’t take their first lead until the middle of the fourth quarter.
Dallas didn't make a basket after Doncic's short jumper with 3:51 to go and finished 9 of 46 (19.6%) from long range. Tim Hardaway Jr. missed all seven from deep, including an open look that bounced off the back of the rim at the buzzer.
The Nets trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter and slowly cut the deficit, led by Durant, who made 5 of 6 shots and scored 11 points in the final quarter.
The Mavericks (11-12) dropped below .500 for the first time since getting blown out by Atlanta in their opener despite the return of both Doncic and Porzingis.
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