Kevin Durant, the big ‘ex’ of the game, led the Houston Rockets with 22 points Thursday in the Texans’ comfortable 120-96 win at Spanish coach Jordi Fernandez’s Brooklyn Nets.
The Rockets continued their good form in the NBA and won their fourth consecutive victory to increase their record to 21 wins and ten losses, the fourth best mark in the Western Conference.
The Nets, meanwhile, suffered their second consecutive setback and their 10-21 record leaves them in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference.
Durant, who was with the Nets from 2019-2023, returned to his former home with 22 points and 11 assists on 8-of-15 shooting from the field.
The two-time NBA champion scored 10 of his 22 points in a great second half, in which he showed off his vast technical arsenal with some spectacular hanging baskets and layups.
In the first period he was dedicated to giving rhythm to his teammates and handed out 5 assists, 2 of them to Turkey’s Alperen Sengun, who finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
The Turkish center connected on 8 of his 12 shots from the field for a Rockets that shot 57 percent as a group (47-of-82), well above the Nets’ 34-of-76 (44 percent).
The Nets, who were without Michael Porter Jr. due to a health problem, lost their 13th of 17 home games this season. The New Yorkers have the worst home record of the season.
Porter Jr. had scored 27 points last Monday against the Golden State Warriors and was the Nets’ leading scorer in four of the previous five games.
Brooklyn’s best was Cam Thomas, with 21 points in 22 minutes on the court coming off the bench.
Ziaire Williams scored 14 points, while Nic Claxton and Noah Clowney put in 11 apiece.
The Rockets now face a Texas derby against the Dallas Mavericks before hosting the Phoenix Suns, another former Durant team.
The Nets will now travel to the U.S. capital to take on the Washington Wizards before hosting the Denver Nuggets.
With information from EFE
