advertisement

Durant scores 31 points, Nets beat Raptors for 5th straight

TORONTO (AP) - Kevin Durant had 31 points, James Harden scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Brooklyn Nets won their fifth straight game, beating the Toronto Raptors 116-103 on Sunday.

'œOur defense was there when we needed it to be,'ť Durant said. 'œWe got stops and made shots.'ť

Harden narrowly missed his second straight triple-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

'œWhen he's at that level, he makes us go,'ť Brooklyn's Blake Griffin said about Harden. 'œWe, as a team, can go to a different level.'ť

Harden missed his first seven shots from beyond the arc before connecting with 4:34 left to play the fourth, extending a seven-point Nets lead to double digits. He added two more from distance in the final quarter.

'œJames was special there in the fourth,'ť Durant said.

Griffin had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Patty Mills scored 13 points to help Steve Nash earn the victory in his first game in his home country as an NBA head coach.

'œThat means a lot,'ť Nash said. 'œThis is a very special place for me. Not only Canada, but Toronto. I've spent so much of my time here, I have so many close friends, relationships, and memories in this city. For me, this is definitely a sweet win.'ť

Durant reached 20 points for the 10th straight game, extending both his career-best streak to begin a season and the Nets' record for 20-point games at the start of a season.

'œLike we said since Day 1, he's been unbelievable this season at both ends of the floor, rebounding, scoring, facilitating'ť Nash said.

Durant was playing in Toronto for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon while playing for Golden State in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

'œThe last time I was here was one of my lowest moments as a basketball player,'ť Durant said. 'œIt's good to come back here playing and see the fans again.'ť

The 11-time All-Star shot 11 for 18, going 3 for 6 from 3-point range, and 6 for 6 at the free throw line. He had seven rebounds and seven assists.

Fred VanVleet scored 21 points, OG Anunoby had 16 and Gary Trent Jr. scored 15 points for the Raptors, who have lost two straight after winning the previous five.

Toronto (7 for 25) matched its season-low with seven made 3-pointers. The Raptors also had seven in their season-opening loss to Washington.

Raptors forward Pascal Siakam made his first start of the season after missing the first 10 games because of left shoulder surgery. Siakam scored 15 points in 25 minutes. He shot 5 for 12.

'œMy legs were heavy,'ť Siakam said. 'œI was out of breath after about three minutes.'ť

Toronto led 60-53 at halftime, but Brooklyn reclaimed the lead with a 9-0 run to begin the third that was capped by a 3-pointer from Griffin. Durant scored 13 points in the quarter and Griffin had seven as the Nets took an 88-77 lead to the fourth.

TIP-INS

Nets: F James Johnson (left knee) was inactive. '¦ The Nets won consecutive games against Toronto for the first time since February and April, 2015.'¦ Griffin said he expects to play in the second half of Brooklyn's back-to-back at Chicago tomorrow night.

Raptors: Siakam replaced Precious Achiuwa in the starting lineup. '¦ C Khem Birch (right knee) was inactive. '¦ Toronto shot 2 for 11 from 3-point range in the first. '¦ For the second straight game, the Raptors didn't attempt a free throw in the first quarter. '¦ Toronto waived F Sam Dekker Saturday. '¦ Rookie Dalano Banton celebrated his 22nd birthday.

HITTING THE ROAD

Toronto plays eight of its next nine games away from home.

LOCAL HERO

Nash represented Canada at the 2000 Summer Olympics and was general manager of Canada's men's national team from 2012 to 2019.

UP NEXT

Nets: At Chicago on Monday night.

Raptors: At Boston on Wednesday night.

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) drives upcourt after stealing the ball from Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press
Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) handles the ball in front of Brooklyn Nets forward Paul Millsap (31) during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press
Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) goes to the net past Brooklyn Nets guard DeAndre' Bembry, left, during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash reacts to a foul call during first-half NBA basketball game action against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press
Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) drives to the net against Brooklyn Nets forward Bruce Brown, second from right, during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press
Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) goes to the net against Brooklyn Nets forward Blake Griffin (2) and forward Joe Harris, center, during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press
Toronto Raptors forward Precious Achiuwa (5) shoots as Brooklyn Nets forward Blake Griffin (2) and guard Jevon Carter (0) defend during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.