EditorsNote: tweaked 4th graph, adding “lead” in last graph, minor edits
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored in a high of 31 points when the Oklahoma City Thunder scored over a slow start and pulled away for a 129-116 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Sunday night in New York.
Reserve Hamidou Diallo scored 25 career-high points for the Thunder, who entered the game with an average of 101.9 points and easily surpassed that number.
Al Horford added 22 as Oklahoma City rallied from 15 points down and outscored Brooklyn 100-75 after slowing 41-29 through the first quarter. George Hill added 14 while Isaiah Roby and Luguentz Dort added 13 apiece for the Thunder, who fired the best 54.4 percent of the season.
Kevin Durant returned from missing three games due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols and posted a 36-point double with 11 rebounds. The Nets played their third straight game without Kyrie Irving (for personal reasons) and lost for the sixth time in nine games.
Caris LeVert scored 21 for Brooklyn, who fired 50.6 percent and never led after a Durant jersey with a 4:51 left in the third.
Oklahoma City beat the Nets 37-18 in the decisive third and took the lead on a 3-lead lead by Dort with 4:18 left which made it 79-78. The Thunder maintained a 94-81 lead into the fourth after hitting four three-pointers in the final 24 seconds after a strong blow by Brooklyn’s DeAndre Jordan.
Diallo picked up his fourth ball trying to stop Durant’s waste with 4:56 left and the Nets were within 115-103. After a fumble on which Darius Bazley was turned back with 4:06 left, the Thunder grabbed the win on a turn hook by Horford for a 120-103 lead.
The Nets fired a scorching 69.6 percent in the first quarter and beat Oklahoma City 23-11 over the final 5:08 to take a 41-29 lead.
Brooklyn went over five minutes without a basket before LeVert’s layup gave the Nets a 51-48 lead with 3:40 left. Horford’s 3-point lead created a 51-51 tie on the next possession but the Nets maintained a 63-57 advantage at halftime.
–Field Media Level