Curry, who finished with 22 points, stood out especially in the last quarter
The Nets have held their opponents below 100 points in the last five games
With four wins in the five games he has been suspended Kyrie Irvingthe Brooklyn Nets have left behind a start to the season full of turbulence on and off the track and this Saturday they beat the Los Angeles Clippers at home with Kevin Durant and Seth Curry in front (95-110).
Durant had 27 points and 6 rebounds and became the first player to start an NBA season with 13 games in a row scoring at least 25 points in each of them since Michael Jordan in 1988-1989.
For its part, Currywho finished with 22 points, stood out especially in the last quarterin which he dazzled with 14 points (including an immaculate 4 of 4 triples) and definitively propelled the Nets who until then had not been able to break away on the scoreboard.
Already with Jacque Vaughn confirmed as coach, the Nets have found peace and harmony on the court after a few very turbulent weeks with Irving’s anti-Semitic controversy, Steve Nash’s departure from the bench and a start full of defeats.
Irving met this meeting on minimum five match ban imposed by the Nets but still has no return date.
The Nets (6-7), who they have left their rivals below 100 points in the last five gamesthey won’t have much time to rest as they continue their trip out West on Sunday against a failing Lakers.
For the Clippers (7-6), who fell off the cliff in the last quarter (24-35), Paul George was the top scorer with 17 points but he had a very poor afternoon in terms of accuracy (5 of 21 in field goals, 1 of 6 in triples).
Ivica Zubac (16 points and 15 rebounds) and Norman Powell (16 points) also stood out in some Clippers still without Kawhi Leonard, that they only made 11 of 32 in triples and that they saw their streak of five victories cut in the last six games.
Durant early, Curry late
As if it was difficult for them to wake up due to the early start of the game (1:00 p.m. in Los Angeles), the two teams started without fluency in attack and chaining errors.
The unexpected protagonist of the start was Edmond Sumner, with a lot of energy in defense and also contributing on offense (9 points), and later it was Kevin Durant who began to torture the local defense and led the Nets with 11 points (19-24).
Inaccurate in the first quarter with 5 lost balls (they would add 10 before the break), the Clippers found oxygen with their second unit and they took the lead with a two plus one from Norman Powell (31-29 with 8.36 on the clock).
Also Ivica Zubac in the inside game and Marcus Morris with two triples they increased their performance in the Clippers, but the Nets, with a very interesting team effort in the first half, went to the locker room with an advantage (50-54).
More successful than in the first stages of the game, both teams they faced the resumption as a duel of power to power.
Paul Georgevery failed in the first part, woke up with 9 points in that third quarter although he still had many aiming problems.
But the Clippers did not find an antidote for Durant, who added 10 more for his personal account in that quarter in a Nets that did not give ground (71-75).
With everything to decide in the last twelve minutes, the Clippers resorted to everything they had at hand and Norman Powell and John Wall gave the local attack an extra spice.
Brooklyn’s response was magnificent and ran on behalf of Seth Curry.
Expert also in igniting in a matter of seconds, Curry sharpened his knives and shredded the Clippers with 14 points in eight minutes, including an immaculate 4 of 4 triples, which left the game seen for judgment (88-99 with 3.41 to go).
The Clippers couldn’t find a way to re-enlist to the game and the Nets signed a victory that consolidates their ascending dynamics.