Kevin Durant Drops 34 as Nets Hand Joel Embiid, 76ers 3rd Straight Loss
The Brooklyn Nets extended their win streak to four games with a 114-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night at Barclays Center.
Brooklyn moves to 21-8 with the win to maintain their first-place status in the Eastern Conference. The Nets have been particularly impressive as of late, winning seven of their last 10 games.
Thursday's win over the Sixers was even more impressive because the Nets were without seven players, including James Harden and Bruce Brown, because of COVID-19 protocols.
Notable Stats
Kevin Durant, PF, BKN: 34 PTS, 11 REB, 8 AST, 1 BLK
Joel Embiid, C, PHI: 32 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL
Nic Claxton, PF, BKN: 17 PTS, 2 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK
Seth Curry, SG, PHI: 29 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL
Blake Griffin, PF, BKN: 17 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST
Kevin Durant Leads the Way
Durant will always be the star of the show for the Nets, but his performance on Thursday night was even more important because of how shorthanded the team was.
The 33-year-old was effective from the get-go, putting up 10 points, six rebounds and two assists in the first quarter, which led all players.
Durant didn't slow down in the second quarter, either, adding five points, three rebounds, three assists and one block.
After halftime, the four-time scoring champion added 19 points, two rebounds and three assists, to help the Nets maintain the lead and grab the win.
It was also Durant's fourth straight game with at least 30 points, and it should be mentioned that he entered Thursday's game averaging 36.9 minutes per night, the highest amount of time on the court he's seen since the 2013-14 season.
Durant played 39 minutes against the Sixers. If he played one more minute, it would have been his third straight game with at least 40 minutes on the court.
Durant's play also helped several other players shine, including Nic Claxton and rookie Cam Thomas. Claxton finished with 17 points, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks, while Thomas finished with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench.
It's unclear when the Nets will get the remainder of their roster back, but with Durant playing some of the best basketball in years, he should be able to keep the team afloat until they return.
Joel Embiid's Effort Not Enough
Embiid had one of his best performances of the week against the Nets on Thursday night, and he did so without the help of Tyrese Maxey, who was ruled out with a left quad contusion.
However, the 27-year-old kicked things off with just four points, three rebounds and three assists in the first quarter before adding 11 points, two rebounds, one assist and a steal just before halftime.
Embiid continued his impressive night in the second half, tacking on 18 points, four rebounds and two assists. However, his performance wasn't enough as the Sixers failed to get much out of anyone else besides Seth Curry, who finished with 29 points, three rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Tobias Harris, Danny Green and Shake Milton, who all started for Philadelphia, combined for just 32 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. In addition, the team's performance off the bench was disappointing as Andre Drummond, Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe failed to make an impact, combining for just 12 points.
In comparison, Brooklyn's starters aside from Durant combined for 54 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists, while the team's bench combined for 26 points, 17 rebounds and six assists.
Philly's poor play and inconsistency continues to haunt them this year. Embiid can't continue to do it all, and the 76ers need to do something to get him some help. Whether it being trading Ben Simmons, who has yet to play this year, or finding another player(s) to acquire.
What's Next?
The Nets will host the Orlando Magic on Saturday, while the Sixers will return home to host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
