The Brooklyn Nets is that one team that has immense potential, but something or the other keeps them from consistently winning. They are such a confident unit that they can simply reject the talent of James Harden, who wants to join them, and still continue with their current roster with the head held high. What is the root of this strength? The answer lies in Kevin Durant.
The two-time Warriors’ champion joined the Nets in 2019 but failed to play in the last season. However, he has been making up for that absence with his extraordinary performance in the current season.
Kevin Durant entered the league of the greatest of the greats
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KD entered the game against the Nuggets, just a few points short of breaking records. He was trailing Elgin Baylor by just 4 points and Dwyane Wade by just 21 points in the NBA’s all-time scoring list. In fact, his 34th point against the Nuggets ensured he crossed past Adrian Dantley in the same list. Kevin fell just one rebound short of making a triple-double.
The moment @KDTrey5 passed DWade on the all-time scoring list 💦 pic.twitter.com/ozcjZAuda1
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 13, 2021
He still has close to five years of active playing left in him. One can assume that he will quickly climb this ladder to break the records of many more greats in the coming time.
But this was not the only record that he broke. The star has been performing so consistently this season that the performance against the Nuggets helped him score 25+ points in the seventh consecutive game. He is just two such games away from setting a league record.
Kevin Durant is the first @BrooklynNets player to record seven consecutive 25-point games since Stephon Marbury in 1999.
The longest such streak in the team's NBA history is eight games by Bernard King in 1979. pic.twitter.com/qoHPW3lGWY
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) January 13, 2021
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Nets vs Nuggets: As it happened!
The Nuggets were 70-54 ahead after the first half in the game. Nikola Jokic with his 23-point double-double points had come out all guns blazing since the beginning of the game. The entire starting line-up of the Nuggets joined Jokic, and the four of them ended up scoring in the double digits.
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But later, the Nets took complete charge of the game with their rotation players making their presence felt. The bench came out roaring as Caris LeVert scored 20 points (18 in the first half) in just 26 minutes of play. Luwawu became the surprise package with triple three-pointers and a steal to contribute.
The Nets completed the turnaround by defeating the Nuggets 122-116.