Z-Home Slider

Nets Ride Durant’s Historic Performance To Game 5 Victory

The Brooklyn Nets were without superstar Kyrie Irving in a critical Game 5 matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks – so Kevin Durant turned on the afterburner to torch them with a historic playoff performance.

Durant turned in an eye-popping, historical game, putting up a ridiculous stat line with 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. Durant alone accumulated 41.5% of all Nets scoring, which pushed Brooklyn to a 114-108 victory.

Durant discussed his ability to provide dynamic performances whenever his team has needed him in the past: “I know the perception of me is that I can score the basketball well, but any team that I’ve played on, I’ve been asked to do pretty much everything from rebounding to defending to initiating to scoring,” he said.

Irving’s injury was only further compounded by the sluggish play of guard James Harden, who had arguably his worst playoff game ever – the usually impactful superstar converted just once on 10 shots, and missed every three-point attempt he chucked at the basket. Durant was the go-to man down the stretch and was nearly automatic from the floor, dropping 20 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Milwaukee had been red-hot as of late, winning the last two games in the series and jumping out to a massive 17-point lead in Game 5. Durant then willed the Nets to a come-from-behind victory after trailing by 16 at the beginning of the third quarter.

A large storyline will be whether or not Harden can begin contributing and lift some of the scoring burden off the shoulders of Durant. Harden was not even supposed to play in Game 5, but then a series of pre-game workouts quickly changed the prognosis and the bearded superstar took the court. However, it was obvious Harden was still injured, with poor shot form and an inability to drive or juke his way to open looks. Head coach Steve Nash stated that whether Harden plays is being left to the former Rockets star, who will have to decide whether he can turn in a strong performance in a crucial Game 6.

The next game in the series is Thursday in Milwaukee.

David Metzger

Recent Posts

Paul George Exits With Knee Injury As 76ers Fall To 2-12 In Loss To Grizzlies

With their big three finally back in action Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers suffered another setback…

3 hours ago

VIDEO: Nike Pays Tribute to Rafael Nadal With 30-Foot Projection In Front of Eiffel Tower

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tny--EWynOQ Nike paid tribute to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal with a 10-meter-tall animated display…

20 hours ago

VIDEO: Rafael Nadal Gets Emotional Tribute as He Retires From Tennis

https://youtu.be/dtJoJz9hC48 Tennis legend Rafael Nadal bid a heartfelt goodbye to his devoted Spanish fans as he brought…

21 hours ago

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Fencer Eli Dershwitz Explains The Art Of Fencing

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DQ9Rxhnuer4 U.S. Olympic fencer Eli Dershwitz shed light on the critical skills necessary in fencing…

2 days ago

Two Bears Offensive Linemen Return To Practice, Caleb Williams Desperate For Blocking

Two offensive linemen for the Chicago Bears returned to practice, a massive step in the…

3 days ago

VIDEO: UFC Heavyweight Champion Performs Viral Trump Dance In New York

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s2g9t_33Myw President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Jon…

4 days ago