- Associated Press - Sunday, April 25, 2021

NEW YORK (AP) - Kevin Durant scored 33 points in his latest return from injury, Kyrie Irving had 34 and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Phoenix Suns 128-119 on Sunday in a matchup of two of the NBA’s top teams.

Durant missed three games after bruising his left thigh early in a loss to Miami last Sunday and has been limited to just 25 games this season. He played 28 minutes off the bench in his return, shooting 12 for 21.

Blake Griffin scored 15 points to help the Eastern Conference leaders improve to 25-7 at home and 20-6 against West teams.

Devin Booker scored 36 points and Deandre Ayton had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns, the No. 2 team in the West who are seeing the best of the East on their current road trip.

The Nets were 2-2 while playing almost entirely without Durant in their previous four, but things change when the four-time scoring champion is on the floor.

WARRIORS 117, KINGS 113

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Stephen Curry scored 37 points and set an NBA record for 3-pointers in a month at 85, leading Golden State past Sacramento Kings 117-113 on Sunday night.

Kelly Oubre Jr.’s jumper with 1:42 left put Golden State ahead 112-111 before Richaun Holmes missed a pair of free throws at the 1:25 mark, then Draymond Green scored moments later.

Curry shot 11 of 21 with seven more 3-pointers after the two-time MVP rolled his right ankle during Friday night in a victory over Denver. His April total topped James Harden’s record of 82 in November 2019.

Buddy Hield led the Kings with 25 points.

WIZARDS 119, CAVALIERS 110

WASHINGTON (AP) - Bradley Beal scored 33 points and Washington rallied to beat Cleveland for its eighth straight victory.

Down eight early in the fourth quarter at 95-87, Washington tied it at 105 on Beal’s 3-pointer with 4:55 remaining. Washington finished on a 14-5 run.

Russell Westbrook had 14 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, ending his triple-double streak at four. He failed to record a triple-double for only the third time in 17 games.

Cavaliers scoring leader Collin Sexton sat out because of a concussion after scoring 28 points Friday night in a loss to Charlotte.

Darius Garland led Cleveland with 28 points, and Jarrett Allen had 27 points and 12 rebounds. The Cavaliers have lost five of six.

PACERS 131, MAGIC 112

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Malcolm Brogdon scored 24 points and Indiana used a big third quarter to rout short-handed Orlando in a game marred by Magic rookie Devin Cannady’s gruesome ankle injury.

Cannady suffered an open fracture of his right ankle in the first quarter when he landed awkwardly while trying to contest Edmond Sumner’s layup. Magic center Mo Bamba was so shaken by the sight of the injury that he took his jersey off and placed it over Cannady’s badly broken and bleeding ankle. The former Princeton star was set for surgery Sunday night.

Playing less than 24 hours after rallying to beat Detroit, the Pacers had a 41-20 edge in the third quarter to cruise to their third straight victory. Indiana remained a game behind Charlotte for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Tyrone Corbin directed the Magic with head coach Steve Clifford out after testing positive for COVID-19. Dwayne Bacon led Orlando with 20 points.

HORNETS 125, CELTICS 104

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Devonte Graham had 24 points and nine assists and P.J. Washington added 22 points and 12 rebounds in Charlotte’s victory over Boston.

Terry Rozier had 21 points and 11 assists, and Miles Bridges stayed hot with 20 points for the Hornets. They pulled within 1 1/2 games of Boston for the sixth spot in the East.

Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown each had 20 points for Boston. It has dropped two straight after winning seven of eight.

HAWKS 111, BUCKS 104

ATLANTA (AP) - Lou Williams made four 3-pointers in the final seven minutes, including a jumper that gave Atlanta its first lead of the second half, Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 32 points and the Hawks beat Milwaukee.

Williams had 15 points while leading Atlanta’s late long-distance attack. The Hawks overwhelmed the Bucks with eight 3-pointers in the final seven minutes. Atlanta has won four of its last five and 11 of 14.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points with 14 rebounds for the Bucks. Khris Middleton had 23 points, and Jrue Holiday added 19 points with 11 assists.

GRIZZLIES 120, TRAIL BLAZERS 113

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Ja Morant had 28 points and Memphis beat Portland for the second time in three days.

Jonas Valanciunas, back after missing three games because of concussion protocol, added 21 points and 10 rebounds.

CJ McCollum had 27 points for the Blazers. They have lost five straight and nine of 11 to fall to seventh in the Western Conference - a half-game ahead of Memphis.

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide