NBA RESULTS
New York 121, Houston 99
Indiana 125, Atlanta 113
Utah 112, Miami 94
Brooklyn 134, Golden State 117
Phoenix 120, Philadelphia 111
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Kevin Durant made a triumphant return to the San Francisco Bay Area Saturday, scoring 20 points to boost the Brooklyn Nets to convincing 134-117 NBA victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Durant won titles with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, earning NBA Finals MVP honors each year before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the 2019 championship series and then departing Golden State for the Nets.
His return came in the new arena in San Francisco that the Warriors moved into last season, where the lack of fans in the stadium made his appearance a more muted affair.
”It was good to see everybody,” said Durant, who had hugs for former teammates Draymond Green and Stephen Curry and Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
”Wish Klay (Thompson) was healthy, but it’s good to be back in the Bay Area. I loved my time here, I loved playing for this team.
”But I’m glad we got a good ‘W,”’ Durant added.
Durant was back on the floor after a week in quarantine because of NBA coronavirus protocols.
Nevertheless, the All-Star forward meshed seamlessly with star teammates Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Nets not only delivering offensively but also shutting down the potentially explosive Warriors offense.
Irving scored 23 points to lead six Nets players in double figures. Harden added 19 with 16 assists and the Nets held the Warriors to 48.9 percent shooting – 26.5 percent from three-point range – in a comfortable win.
Curry, coming off a 40-point performance against the Orlando Magic, led the Warriors with 27 points, making 10 of 17 from the field but just two of nine from three-point range.
After six lead changes in a tight first quarter, the Nets took control, never trailing from the second period on.
In Phoenix, Devin Booker scored 36 points to pace the Suns in a 120-111 victory over the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia 76ers.
Chris Paul added 18 points and 10 assists and the Phoenix bench delivered 56 points as the Suns won their fifth straight and their eighth in nine games.
The Suns shot 60.8 percent from the field, leaving Sixers coach Doc Rivers to bemoan his team’s defensive breakdowns – especially when the reserve unit was on the floor.
”It’s funny, the first eight minutes, I thought defensively, were pretty good, and then right when we went to the bench is when our defense struggled,” Rivers said.
Center Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 35 points. Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris added 18 apiece.
