NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 41 points and the Brooklyn Nets rallied past the Detroit Pistons 130-123 on Tuesday night.
Kyrie Irving added 24 points in his second home appearance since New York exempted athletes from a private employer mandate for COVID-19 vaccinations last week. Andre Drummond had 14 points and 13 rebounds as Brooklyn overcame a double-digit deficit in the second quarter.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 34 points. Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey each had 15.
The Pistons went ahead 55-43 following Frank Johnson’s short jumper with 5:54 left in the second quarter. Durant followed with a four-point play and the Nets pulled within 64-58 at halftime.
Brooklyn opened the second half on a 22-8 run and took an 80-72 lead on Drummond’s put-back with 5:54 remaining in the third quarter.
Cunningham’s 3-pointer with 38 seconds left in the quarter brought the Pistons within 96-94, and Jackson’s floater put Detroit ahead 101-99 early in the fourth.
The game was tied at 108 when Durant’s pull-up jumper followed by two free throws and Seth Curry’s 3-pointer gave Brooklyn the lead for good.
Durant’s final two points, on free throws, gave the Nets their biggest lead of the game, 128-118, with 1:18 remaining. Detroit got no closer than seven the rest of the way.
Curry finished with 11 points, while Bruce Brown added 15 and Nic Claxton also had 11 for the Nets.
Killian Hayes scored 13 points and Marvin Bagley III added 11 for the Pistons.
TIP-INS:
Pistons: Bey is the only Piston to have played in all 76 games this season. Stewart is next with 65 games played. They have both started in every game they have appeared. ... Detroit has lost three straight and nine of their last 11.
Nets: The Nets have won six straight games against the Pistons, tied for their longest winning streak against Detroit in franchise history. They have also beaten them six straight at the Barclays Center and haven’t lost to them at home since April 1, 2018.
NO IRON MEN HERE
No one on the Nets has played in every game this season. Patty Mills comes the closest, having missed only one of Brooklyn’s 76 games, a Jan. 13 loss to Oklahoma City. Bruce Brown (67) is the only other Net to play in more than 60 games.
BEY FROM FAR AWAY
Bey has made at least one 3-pointer in 40 straight games, the third-longest current streak in the NBA. The last game in which he did not connect from downtown came against the Nets on Dec. 12. Bey’s 197 treys this season are a franchise record, surpassing Alan Houston’s 191 during the 1995-96 season.
UP NEXT
Pistons: Detroit hosts Philadelphia on Thursday.
Nets: Brooklyn hosts Milwaukee on Thursday.
