In front of a cheering crowd during pregame introductions, Kevin Durant scored 33 points in his Brooklyn comeback. The Phoenix Suns defeated the Nets 136-120 on Wednesday night in New York, jumping out to a big lead in the third quarter. Before the game, Durant was shown a short tribute film with his mother watching from courtside. Fans cheered as Durant played his final game for the Nets on January 8, 2023, before he requested a trade to the Suns and had his wish fulfilled at last year’s trade deadline.
Amidst jeers as soon as he touched the ball, Durant made 10 of 16 shots, nailed 11 foul shots, and scored 11 points in the third quarter as the Suns outscored the Nets 42–26 and shot 76 percent (16–of-21) to convert a three-point halftime lead into a 19-point lead. In addition, Durant ended with two blocks, five rebounds, and eight assists.
Durant briefly embraced Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn and a few of his old players after the game. The Suns outrebounded the Nets 42–27, with Jusuf Nurkic contributing 28 and 11 boards. The Suns shot 62 percent with 22 points and eight assists from Devin Booker and 17 points from Eric Gordon. The Nets, who failed to win three in a row, were led by Cam Thomas, who finished with 25 points. Mikal Bridges, a former Sun, added 21 points, while Lonnie Walker IV chipped in with 19. Ben Simmons was absent from the game due to a damaged left knee.
The Suns led by three points at the half, but with 2:24 remaining in the third, Durant’s three-point play gave the Suns a 99-81 advantage. Bradley Beal’s three-pointer broke a 75-75 tie and ignited a 24-6 run. The Suns led 106-87 going into the fourth quarter and kept their lead. With 8:28 remaining, a triple by Bridges brought the Nets within 111-98 as Durant took a nap in the fourth quarter. Walker’s three pointer with 6:25 remaining put the Nets behind 115-103, but Durant’s dunk with 4:08 left put them ahead 122-109. With just over a minute remaining, Gordon and Booker made back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Suns up 134-118.
