Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts in the final seconds of the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center on November 03, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP
Kevin Durant scored 15 of his 32 points in the third quarter when the Brooklyn Nets surged ahead and pulled away for a 117-108 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night in New York.
Durant helped the Nets close the third by scoring 13 points in a 20-4 run that spanned the final 4:40. He snapped a 75-75 tie with two free throws and capped the quarter with an off-balance 3-pointer over Cam Reddish just before the buzzer to put Brooklyn up 95-79.
Durant posted his third 30-point game of the season and the star forward shot 13 of 20 from the field. He also collected seven rebounds and five assists.
James Harden followed up his first triple-double of the season with 16 points and 11 of Brooklyn’s 34 assists.
32 PTS | 7 REB | 5 AST@KDTrey5 lifts the @BrooklynNets to their third-straight win 👏 pic.twitter.com/gefV5UWmIZ
— NBA (@NBA) November 4, 2021
Joe Harris hit six 3-pointers and added 18 points to help the Nets head out on a six-game road trip with a three-game winning streak. Reserve Patty Mills chipped in 14 while LaMarcus Aldridge and Bruce Brown contributed 10 apiece as Brooklyn shot 48.9 percent and hit 22 of 48 3-pointers after shooting a franchise-record 65.3 percent from the floor in Sunday’s 117-91 rout of the Detroit Pistons.
DeAndre Hunter hit a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, but Atlanta lost for the 11th time in the past 13 meetings against the Nets. Trae Young scored 11 points in the opening quarter and finished with 21 and 10 assists on 6-of-22 shooting from the floor.
Kevin Huerter added 16 while Clint Capela (16 rebounds) and John Collins chipped in 13 apiece as Atlanta shot 43.6 percent and allowed 26 points off 14 turnovers.
Durant returned shortly after Harden hit a 3-pointer for a 109-96 lead with 6:23 remaining. Harden hit two more 3-pointers as the Nets took a 116-100 lead with just under three minutes left to secure the game.
Before the surge in the third, Durant scored 12 points as the Nets shot 57.7 percent and outscored the Hawks 17-4 over the final 3:28 of the first quarter for a 35-28 lead. Brooklyn blew a 10-point lead and held a 61-59 lead at intermission after Harden hit a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining.