Harden, Durant lead Nets past Bucks as Warriors hold off champions Lakers
New York, Tuesday
James Harden scored 34 points and Kevin Durant’s 30 included the go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute as the NBA’s new-look Brooklyn Nets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 125-123 on Monday.
Harden, playing his second game for Brooklyn since arriving in a blockbuster trade from the Houston Rockets, added 12 assists.
Durant added six assists and nine rebounds as the Nets held off two-time defending NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in a clash of Eastern Conference powers.
Antetokounmpo scored 34 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists for Milwaukee. Khris Middleton added 25 points -- but couldn’t get a potential game-winning three-pointer to drop in the final second.
“That’s a huge win for us,” Harden said. “Not having a chance to practice, just going on the fly, we beat a really good Bucks team.”
In a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Nets trailed 122-123 when Harden missed a three-pointer but managed to corral the rebound and get the ball to Durant, who drained a three-pointer to put Brooklyn up 125-123 with 36.8 seconds remaining.
After Middleton missed a three-point attempt, Durant turned the ball over to give the Bucks one more chance, but Middleton missed again.
In Los Angeles, the Golden State Warriors rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers 115-113.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26 points, despite struggling from three-point range. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 23 for Golden State, his driving layup with 3:10 remaining knotting the score at 108-108.
Draymond Green followed with a layup to give the Warriors their first lead of the night, one they would not give up as Green added another layup and Curry added just his third three-pointer of the night to push the Warriors’ lead to five.
LeBron James missed a three-pointer at the buzzer and the Lakers’ five-game winning streak ended. Dennis Schroder led Los Angeles with 25 points and James added 19. - AFP
