This version of the Brooklyn Nets goes as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving go, and perahaps no game this season has encapsulated that truth as well as their 124-121 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday evening, which extended their season-long winning streak to six games.
Neither was all that great in the first half; they each had 13 points, but Durant had nearly as many turnovers (four) as made field goals (five), while Irving was limited to 14 minutes of action due to foul trouble. That, combined with the Pistons' success in the paint in the mid-range, saw the home team's lead balloon to as much as 19 just before halftime.
After the break, it was a completely different story. Durant and Irving were at their best as they led a furious comeback that erased the entire deficit in the third quarter alone. Come the fourth, it was the Pistons who suddenly had to fight their way back into the game, but they ultimately came up short because they do not have a Durant nor an Irving.
The All-Star duo outscored the Pistons' entire team in the second half, 55-50, and finished with a combined 81 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on 27-of-45 from the field. No one else on the Nets took more than six shots, and Royce O'Neale (11 points) was the only other double-digit scorer.
Here's a quick rundown of some of the notable stats from their outing:
- Most points by a duo this season
- Second-most points Durant and Irving have scored in the same game with the Nets, behind only their 86 combined points against the Atlanta Hawks on Apr. 2, 2022
- Fourth time they've each scored 30-plus points in the same game this season, matching Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for the most 30-point performances by a pair of teammates
- Third time they've each scored 35-plus points in the same game this season, making them just the third pair of teammates to do that in the last 30 years. The others were Durant and Russell Westbrook in 2011-12 and Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway in 1994-95
- Durant's 26 points in the third quarter were the most he's ever scored in one quarter in his career
Over the final three minutes and 18 seconds of the third quarter, Durant turned the game into his own personal showcase. He poured in 20 points in rapid succession, capping off the run and the frame with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Nets the lead.
"I feel like I'm always locked in to play and whenever my name is called, I gotta go out there and make shots and shoot good shots," Durant said. "That's what happened in the end of the third. I had some great looks and I was able to finish them.
"Yeah, I felt like I could be more aggressive around that time. [Irving] came out the game, so I knew there would be a lot of attention on me to score. So I kept that in mind as well, but I feel like I got some good one-on-one opportunities with late help that I was able to shoot over, and then the three 3s."
With 10 wins in their last 11 games, the Nets have completely turned their season around. Not only are they no longer the laughingstock of the league, they're within striking distance of the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. With those two teams struggling as of late, the Nets are just three games back at 19-12.
