Steve Kerr has seen Kevin Durant at his greatest, after they spent three years and received two NBA championships along with the Warriors from 2016-19.
Kerr and the undermanned Warriors obtained a front-row look Wednesday evening at how dominant Durant has been this season and the way scorching the Nets have been over the previous few weeks. Durant led a balanced assault with 23 factors towards his former staff in a 143-113 rout at Barclays Heart, because the rolling Nets received their seventh in a row and eleventh in 12 video games.
“I feel we used the phrase professionalism and being mature to play the sport tonight, and I feel that was the primary piece of it,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn stated. “Our method was fairly good, particularly the primary quarter after [slow starts in] the final two video games.”
Royce O’Neale nailed 4 3-pointers and completed with 14 factors because the Nets tied a franchise file with 9 gamers scoring in double figures for the Nets, regardless of the absence of start line guard Kyrie Irving, who sat with right-calf tightness.
“That’s what basketball is to me,” stated Ben Simmons, who had eight of the Nets’ 42 assists. “Guys sharing the ball, us getting the perfect shot we are able to each time down after which trusting one another.”
Durant netted 21 of his factors within the first half on 8-for-9 taking pictures because the Nets (20-12) established franchise data for factors in 1 / 4, with 46 within the first, and in a half, as they led 91-51 on the break. That output represented the third-most factors in any half in NBA historical past, behind the Suns with 107 in 1990 and the Warriors with 92 in 2018.
“Effectively, it simply appears to be like like they’ve gotten wholesome,” Kerr stated of the Nets. “They’ve clearly acquired numerous expertise. Their guys are cooking and enjoying nicely collectively. They’re in groove.”
James Wiseman scored 30 factors to steer the Warriors, who had been with out stars Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson, amongst others. The defending NBA champions misplaced for the seventh time of their final 9 video games to slide to 15-18, one evening after being blown out by the Knicks.
“It’s the Warriors, you all the time respect them regardless of who’s on the ground. They've a championship system and championship gamers,” Durant stated. “Even with these guys out, they've a next-up mentality to come back out and play, so you may’t take them frivolously. I feel we did job of staying centered from the beginning.”
Durant ruptured his Achilles tendon through the 2019 NBA Finals with Golden State and missed all the 2019-20 season after he signed a free-agent take care of the Nets. However Kerr stated he believes the famous person has regained his premier stage, particularly this season, when Durant has a scoring common of 30.1 factors per recreation and a career-best .564 field-goal proportion.
“Effectively, he’s been the most effective gamers within the league for a decade. Possibly extra. So he’s simply one of many nice scorers of all time. He’s an outstanding shooter, he can get any shot he needs. He’s the identical man. So he doesn’t look any totally different to me now than he did a number of years in the past when he was enjoying with us,” Kerr stated. “I’m completely satisfied for him, completely satisfied that he’s wholesome and enjoying nicely. I’m completely satisfied for his or her staff.”
Kerr, who received 5 NBA championships as a participant alongside Michael Jordan with the Bulls and 4 extra as coach of the Warriors, stated he believes Durant and different legendary gamers ought to be appreciated whereas they’re nonetheless energetic. Vaughn stated one thing comparable about Durant this week.
Even with out Irving, the Nets managed their most factors in any quarter this season, with a 46-17 runaway result in finish the primary session. They shot a scintillating 73.9 p.c from the ground (17-for-23) and 77.8 p.c (7-for-9) from 3-point vary within the quarter
O’Neale sank three early 3-pointers and had 11 first-quarter factors, and Durant contributed 10 because the Nets constructed a 29-point cushion, 46-17, via 12 minutes.
The second unit pushed the result in 37 halfway via the second quarter, and Durant buried a late 3-pointer because the Nets cruised comfortably into intermission with their 91-51 lead.
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