Raptors edge Nets with Durant out

FILE — Pascal Siakam  of the Toronto Raptors celebrates his basket late in the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on February 05, 2021 in New York City.  Elsa/Getty Images/AFP

Pascal Siakam scored a season-high 33 points as the Toronto Raptors recorded a 123-117 win over the Brooklyn Nets, who lost forward Kevin Durant twice in the same game due to Covid-19 contact tracing protocols.

Siakam added 11 rebounds and six assists while shooting 12 of 23 from the floor and Kyle Lowry scored a season-high 30 points for the Raptors, who won for the eighth time in 12 games.

Siakam & Lowry combine for 6⃣3⃣ in the @Raptors win! #WeTheNorth @pskills43: 33 PTS, 11 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL@Klow7: 30 PTS, 7 AST, 6 3PM, 2 STL pic.twitter.com/MCFT6VHmyh

— NBA (@NBA) February 6, 2021

Lowry tied a season-best with a half dozen threes and helped clinch the victory by scoring on a layup with 35 seconds left to give Toronto a 121-113 lead.

“We missed some open looks and Lowry made some big shots,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “You add it all up and they found separation in the last couple of minutes.”

Durant pulled in third

The Raptors also took advantage of the loss of Durant who was held out of the starting lineup.

Durant was pulled from the starting lineup shortly before the opening tipoff and then allowed to come into the game in the first quarter.

Free me

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 6, 2021

He scored eight points in 19 minutes before he was told by Nets officials to leave the bench and return to the dressing room midway through the third.

It was the first time in his 867-game career that Durant entered a game as a reserve.