Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Durant scored 23 of his 32 points in the second half as the visiting Brooklyn Nets rallied for a 110-98 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
The Knicks held a 96-94 lead on a free throw by RJ Barrett with 5:11 remaining but were outscored 16-2 the rest of the way. Durant forged a 96-all tie with 4:57 left by hitting a 13-footer and then hit a go-ahead 18-footer 42 seconds later.
Kyrie Irving, who added 24 points, hit a 3-pointer for a 101-96 lead with 2:48 to go and Seth Curry followed with another 3-pointer to make it 104-96 with 96 seconds left to clinch Brooklyn’s seventh straight win over the Knicks (35-45).
Durant shot 11 of 22 and also posted a triple-double by collecting 11 assists and 10 rebounds as Brooklyn (42-38) moved within one game of the seventh-place Cleveland Cavaliers, whom they host on Friday.
Irving made 9 of 26 shots and also added eight rebounds and seven assists in his first game as a Net at Madison Square Garden.
Curry and Patty Mills contributed 15 points apiece and the duo combined for eight of Brooklyn’s 14 3-pointers as the Nets shot 44.1 percent from the field overall.
Alec Burks scored 24 points, but the Knicks scored just 31 points after halftime and were outscored 60-25 in the final 23:16 of the game.
Barrett added 23 and Obi Toppin contributed 19 for New York, which shot 38.6 percent, missed 15 free throws and did not get a field goal over the final 7:10.
The Knicks ripped off 19 straight points spanning 4:10 bridging the first and second quarters to open a 38-25 lead on a basket by Toppin with 9:55 remaining in the first half. The lead grew to 63-46 when Evan Fournier hit a 3-pointer with 2:39 remaining and the Knicks held a 67-50 advantage by halftime.
New York missed eight straight shots before Jericho Sims dunked for a 75-60 lead with 6:12 left in the third and Barrett’s layup made it 80-62 with 3:58 to go before Brooklyn ended the third on a 10-2 run.
–Field Level Media