NBA Roundup: Heat Ruin Kevin Durant’s Return to Nets

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) shoots as Miami Heat center Dewayne Dedmon (21) and Caleb Martin (16) look on during the second half at Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, on March 3, 2022. Andy Marlin/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media

Bam Adebayo totaled 30 points and 11 rebounds as the Miami Heat overcame a 16-point deficit to beat Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets 113–107 on Thursday night in New York.

Durant returned from missing 21 games with a sprained MCL in his left knee and scored 31 points for Brooklyn. He hit 10 of 21 shots but missed two in the final minute.

Adebayo made 12 of 15 shots as the Heat earned their 10th win in 12 games by outscoring Brooklyn 72–53 in the final 29 minutes. Tyler Herro added 27 points and eight assists as the Heat shot 51.9 percent. Caleb Martin contributed 22 points and Max Strus chipped in 21 by hitting six of Miami’s 10 3-pointers.

Bruce Brown added 21 points and Patty Mills chipped in 14 for Brooklyn, which shot 47 percent.

Mavericks 122, Warriors 113

Luka Doncic exploded for a game-high 41 points and host Dallas, after needing a rally to beat Golden State four days earlier, held onto its own advantage this time for a win in a rematch.

The Warriors erased a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter before the Mavericks pulled away again. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 18 points for Dallas.

Jordan Poole had 23 points and Stephen Curry put up 21 for the Warriors, who lost a third game in a row for the first time this season.

Clippers 132, Lakers 111

Reggie Jackson scored a season-high 36 points and added nine assists and eight rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the visiting Los Angeles Lakers for the seventh straight time.

Ivica Zubac had 19 points and nine rebounds as the Clippers swept a four-game season series between the teams for the first time since 2015–16.

LeBron James had 26 points and eight rebounds and Russell Westbrook added 17 points and eight rebounds as the Lakers lost their fourth consecutive game since star Anthony Davis went down with a right foot sprain. They fell for the seventh time in their past eight contests.

Hawks 130, Bulls 124

Trae Young sank four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 39 points as Atlanta registered its first victory over Chicago in four tries this season.

Young shot 11-for-18 from the floor and 7-for-9 from 3-point range while handing out 13 assists as the Hawks won for the fourth time in six games. He scored 16 points in the final quarter. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 13 of his 20 points in the final quarter, and the Hawks got 18 points from De'Andre Hunter and 17 points from Kevin Huerter.

DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine scored 22 points apiece as the Bulls lost third straight. Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White each scored 15 points.

Celtics 120, Grizzlies 107

Jayson Tatum scored 21 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter as Boston led nearly from start to finish against visiting Memphis to claim its 13th win in 15 games.

Al Horford sank four 3-pointers for the Celtics and finished with 21 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. Marcus Smart had 18 points and 12 assists, and Robert Williams III contributed 10 points and 12 boards.

Continuing a career week, Grizzlies star Ja Morant scored a game-high 38 on 13-of-29 shooting. Morant, who had scored 46 and 52 points in his prior two contests, put up 30 after halftime on Thursday. Jaren Jackson added 20 points for Memphis.

Pistons 108, Raptors 106

Jerami Grant scored 16 of his 26 points in the first half and visiting Detroit held on sweep the three-game season series with Toronto for the second straight season.

Cade Cunningham added 22 points and 12 rebounds and had a key block in the final seconds for the Pistons, who led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter. Saddiq Bey scored 23 points for the Pistons, who have won four of their past six games.

Pascal Siakam scored 28 points for the Raptors.

Kings 115, Spurs 112

Harrison Barnes scored 27 points and De'Aaron Fox added 26 as visiting Sacramento outlasted San Antonio to win for the second time in three games.

The Kings were up by 19 points early in the third quarter but gave all that back and more as San Antonio rallied to take a 103–99 lead with 4:04 to play. Sacramento pulled away with a 9-0 run.

Lonnie Walker IV had a season-best 30 points to lead the Spurs, who have lost three straight games. Dejounte Murray added 29 points and 12 rebounds.