NBA: Kevin Durant, Nets hold off Raptors
Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets controls the ball as Fred VanVleet #23 and Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors defend during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center on October 21, 2022 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP
Kevin Durant hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 56 seconds left for the Brooklyn Nets, who nearly folded down the stretch before earning a 109-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night in New York.
Durant snapped a 102-all deadlock when he got enough room at the top of the key, received a pass from Royce O’Neale and made the 3-pointer over Toronto forward O.G. Anunoby.
Durant’s clutch shot occurred after the Nets held a 100-88 lead on a basket by Nic Claxton with 5:38 remaining. Brooklyn was unable to seal the win at that point as Toronto ripped off 12 straight points and forged a tie when Pascal Siakam found Anunoby for a 3-pointer with 1:46 to go.
After Durant’s clutch shot, O’Neale hit a 3-pointer for a 108-104 lead with 15.3 seconds to essentially seal matters.
When we needed it most…@KDTrey5 and @BucketsONeale00 DELIVERED. pic.twitter.com/RZud53xLMo
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 22, 2022
Kyrie Irving led the Nets with 30 points and added seven points, including the pass to O’Neale for his key trey. Durant added 27 for the Nets, who shot 47.5 percent. Claxton contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds to help Brooklyn overcome a 10-point deficit late in the third and bounce back from an ugly 22-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in the season opener
Siakam posted a triple-double with a game-high 37 points plus 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Fred VanVleet added 18 points while Scottie Barnes contributed 17 for Toronto, which shot 48.8 percent and lost for only the sixth time in the past 28 meetings with Brooklyn.
After Brooklyn held a four-point lead through the first quarter, Gary Trent’s 3-pointer gave Toronto a 46-37 lead with 4:03 left before halftime. The Nets sliced the deficit to 52-49 by the break, then took a 64-56 lead with 7:34 left in the third on consecutive treys by Durant.
Toronto went on a 20-2 surge to grab a 76-66 lead with 3:31 left in the third. The Nets soon countered with 17 straight points for a 86-79 lead on Irving’s three-point play with 9:43 to go before nearly collapsing in the final minutes.
