Durant to return to action with Nets

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will play in the Nets’ preseason opener against the Wizards at home on Sunday.

The exhibition will mark the first time the two AllStars touch the floor against an opponent together since signing fouryear max contracts in Brooklyn two summers ago.

“I’m excited. It’s a great opportunity heading into this process to get out there and have a dress rehearsal so to speak, break the ice and get us one step closer to the real thing,” rookie head coach Steve Nash said.

This will be Durant’s first real game since June 10, 2019, when with the Warriors he ruptured his Achilles on a dribbledrive to the basket in Game 5 of that year’s NBA Finals. He has played in pickup games and in scrimmages, which teammates describe as intense and competitive, but Durant has yet to play in a real game against players who are not his teammates or his friends.

The Nets, like the rest of the league, are also battling against time. Brooklyn played its last game Aug. 23. Teams have only recently been allowed to fully practice as a team due to the coronavirus pandemic. In less than two weeks, games will begin to count in the winloss column.

“We’ll still be in quoteunquote ‘ preseason’ four or five games into the regular season,” Nash said. “I feel like we used to play eight preseason games, so that’s something. We’re gonna have to be playing at a level, ready to compete in 10 days.”

Raptors 111, Hornets 100: Rookie LaMelo Ball had five rebounds in his first five minutes in an NBA uniform for host Charlotte, and he finished with 10 rebounds and four assists, but he missed all five shots from the field to go scoreless. Toronto led by as many as 20 points in a game where the only spectators were Hornets front- office and medical personnel.

Cavaliers 107, Pacers 104: Rookie guard Isaac Okoro scored 16 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as host Cleveland rallied from an 11- point second- half deficit to beat Indiana.

Grizzlies 107. T’wolves 105: Ja Morant scored 20 points and visiting Memphis hung on to beat Minnesota. Jaylen Nowell scored 22 points in 13 minutes off the bench for Minnesota.

Thunder 121, Spurs 108: Theo Maledon, a 19- year- old point guard, scored 20 points as Oklahoma City won in San Antonio. Former St. Mary’s guard Patty Mills had 24 points, hitting four 3- pointers, for San Antonio.

Mavericks 112, Bucks 102: Down six points at halftime, visiting Dallas went ahead with a 38- point third quarter to beat Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points for Milwaukee and Khris Middleton added 18.

Jazz 119, Suns 105: Host Utah got 19 points from Jordan Clarkson to beat Phoenix, which did not play new acquisition Chris Paul ( right ankle soreness) in its first exhibition.

Chris Carlson / Associated Press Hornets guard LaMelo Ball grabs one of his 10 rebounds in his first time on an NBA court, an exhibition against Toronto.