Page 15 - aruba-today-20220314

A15
sports Monday 14 March 2022
Durant scores 53, Nets edge Knicks 110-107 as Irving watches

NEW YORK (AP) — A roar straight. Brown scored 15 Knicks: Obi Toppin returned
arose inside Barclays Cen- points. Julius Randle scored after missing five games
ter and for one of the few 26 points and Evan Fournier with a strained left ham-
times Sunday, Kevin Durant had 25 for the Knicks, who string and scored eight
had nothing to do with it. finished 3-4 on their road points. ... Coach Tom
This time, it was Kyrie Irving trip. RJ Barrett had 24. Thibodeau said rookie
walking through the crowd Durant scored 16 points in Quentin Grimes, out with a
to take a seat across the the first quarter and Brook- right knee injury, was pretty
court from the Nets bench, lyn was ahead much of much going at full speed
an unusual view for his first the way, but the Knicks ral- and his next step was to
home game this season. lied to take a 103-101 lead take part in contact por-
Durant said he looked over on Barrett's basket. Drum- tions of practice. He had
at teammate Andre Drum- mond's dunk tied it before no update on Derrick Rose,
mond on the foul line and Durant sprinted out to the who had a procedure to
they smiled. wing to catch and fire in Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant, right, shoots over New York Knicks' address a skin infection on
Mitchell Robinson during the first half of the NBA basketball
"Yo, like this is unreal," Du- his fourth 3-pointer of the game at the Barclays Center, Sunday, Mar. 13, 2022, in New his surgically repaired right
rant said, describing their game. He finished 19 of 37 York. ankle.
exchange. "Like, I've never from the field. Associated Press Nets: Seth Curry was origi-
seen nothing like this be- "He's one of the best to ever nally in the starting lineup
fore." do it. So it's tough when he left was a big shot." further tunnel, with some but was scratched be-
He then gave Irving a sen- gets hot like that," Barrett It was a two-point game fans chanting "Free Kyrie! cause of left ankle sore-
sational show. said. "We did hold our own. when Irving emerged to Free Kyrie!" as he walked ness. ... Nic Claxton scored
Durant scored a season- It was a close game, we walk to his seats with just un- by. He exchanged some 10 points. ... The Nets are
high 53 points, making the had opportunities, we had der 4 1/2 minutes remaining hugs at his seat, where he 3-0 against the Knicks this
tiebreaking 3-pointer, and chances. But especially the in the first half. He walked sat maskless. season and have won the
Brooklyn beat the New York shot he hit with a minute through the stands from the TIP-INS last six meetings. q
Knicks 110-107.
Durant's 3-pointer snapped
a 103-all tie with 56 seconds
remaining. He added four
more free throws to keep
the Nets ahead, finishing
one point shy of his career
high.
Durant also had nine as-
sists and six rebounds in his
60th career 40-point perfor-
mance.
"That man's insane," team-
mate Bruce Brown said.
"He makes everything look
easy out there."
Irving had a nice view, still
unable to play in New York.
There is no longer a man-
date that spectators are
vaccinated against the
coronavirus, but there is still
one requiring it for some-
one who works there. Irving
has not been vaccinated.
So the star guard had a
seat in the stands, just as he
did a night earlier to watch
his college team, Duke,
lose in the ACC champion-
ship game. He walked off
arm-in-arm with Durant to-
ward the Nets locker room
after the game ended.
Durant then spent a good
chunk of his postgame in-
terview calling on New
York City Mayor Eric Ad-
ams to change the man-
date, calling it "ridiculous"
that unvaccinated people
could be in the arena but
not play in it.
Drummond had 18 points
and 10 rebounds for the
Nets, who won their third