NBA: Durant, Irving guide Nets to tight win over Hawks
Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets controls the ball as Bogdan Bogdanovic #13 of the Atlanta Hawks defends during the 2nd half of the game at Barclays Center on December 09, 2022 in New York City. Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP
Kevin Durant scored 34 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:17 remaining, and the Brooklyn Nets made enough plays down the stretch to seal a 120-116 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night in New York.
Durant missed his first five 3-point attempts before getting a pass from Royce O’Neale and hitting a trey from the right side that put Brooklyn ahead 111-109. Durant’s clutch 3-pointer came after Trae Young sank a shot to give Atlanta a 109-108 advantage with 3:44 left.
Article continues after this advertisementAfter Durant’s 3-pointer, the Nets took a 113-109 lead when Durant found Joe Harris for a layup with 2:55 remaining. Durant then hit his second 3-pointer from the same spot as his previous trey for a 116-111 lead with 1:09 left.
Durant missed two shots in the final minute, but each time the Nets secured an offensive rebound. After two free throws by Seth Curry made it a five-point game with 10 seconds left, Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic heaved in a 33-foot 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds to go. Durant finally clinched the win by sinking two at the line with 6.1 seconds remaining.
Kyrie Irving added 33 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who went 6-1 on a season-high, seven-game homestand, with five of those wins coming by single digits.
Article continues after this advertisementKevin Durant 🤝 Kyrie Irving
The @BrooklynNets duo combined for 67 PTS as they powered Brooklyn to the win.
Kai: 33 PTS, 11 REB, 5 3PM
KD: 34 PTS, 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/tJWCKKA6IQ— NBA (@NBA) December 10, 2022
T.J. Warren added 14, Curry finished with 11 and Harris had 10 for the Nets. Brooklyn shot 54.9 percent from the floor and survived committing 21 turnovers.
Young scored 33, but Atlanta lost its third game in a row and fell for the seventh time in 10 games.
Bogdanovic added a season-high 31 to finish four shy of his career high for the Hawks, who shot 49.5 percent from the field. Atlanta’s Clint Capela collected a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds), Trent Forrest scored 11 points and AJ Griffin had 10.
Atlanta scored 62 points in the paint while playing without three starters: Dejounte Murray (ankle), John Collins (ankle) and De’Andre Hunter (hip).
After taking a six-point lead through the opening quarter with Durant’s 18 points, the Nets held a 68-64 lead by halftime. They took a 96-90 edge into the fourth before Durant’s clutch shot helped them escape in the final minutes.
