NBA: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving return in Nets’ win over Wizards
Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets celebrates with Kevin Durant #7 after scoring against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on December 12, 2022 in Washington, DC. Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images/AFP
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 30 points, leading a cadre of returning Nets in double figures as visiting Brooklyn continued surging with a 112-100 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.
The Nets won for the eighth time in nine games as Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, Seth Curry, T.J. Warren and Nic Claxton all returned after missing Brooklyn’s win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
Irving added 24 points, including nine during a second-quarter run in which the Nets took the lead for good. Warren finished with 12 points off the bench while starters Harris and Simmons had 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Claxton and Curry combined for 12 points.
KD 🤜🤛Kyrie
The duo combined for 54 PTS to lead the @BrooklynNets to their 4th straight win! #NetsWorld
Kevin Durant: 30 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST
Kyrie: 24 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/SzSbaAwVo4— NBA (@NBA) December 13, 2022
Will Barton scored 22 points off the bench for the skidding Wizards, who have lost seven straight and 10 of 11. Kyle Kuzma had 20 points and Kristaps Porzingis also scored 20 points before exiting with lower back tightness. Jordan Goodwin finished with 11 points and Daniel Gafford added 10.
Durant scored 13 points in the first quarter for the Nets, who led 29-25 at the end of the period before the teams traded runs in the second.
Kuzma hit 3-pointers to bookend an 11-0 run that turned into a 15-2 spurt for the Wizards, who took their biggest lead at 42-36 on a free throw by Goodwin with 7:46 left. Irving responded with a four-point play to begin runs of 11-0 and 15-2 for the Nets, who went ahead for good on Irving’s three-point play with 6:30 remaining.
Kuzma and Barton hit 3-pointers to pull the Wizards within one before the Nets mounted an 11-3 run to take their biggest lead of the half at 62-53. Barton ended the quarter with a layup for Washington.
The Wizards got within four points twice early in the third before the Nets began pulling away. Warren’s jumper gave the visitors their biggest lead at 88-71 with 3:08 remaining. Washington got no closer than eight in the fourth, when Brooklyn led by as many as 16.
