Harden, Durant lead Nets past Bucks as Warriors hold off champions Lakers
By People Daily, January 20, 2021New 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