NEW YORK – Kyrie Irving took his first seven shots, sparking a big bank cheer with one one-handed follow slam after eventually missing and scoring 27 points as the Brooklyn Nets defeated the San Antonio Spurs 139-103 on Monday night for their 12th straight win.
Kevin Durant added 25 points and 11 assists for the Nets (25-12), who have the longest winning streak in the NBA except for one game from Boston this season, for a league-best record. Brooklyn has won 16 of their last 17 games.
“I don’t think we really pay much attention to the streak, we just want to play really well for each other,” Irving said.
Irving shot 11-14, Durant was 10-14 and neither played in the fourth quarter for the Nets, who are 23-7 under Jacque Vaughn. TJ Warren finished the race with 18 points and Brooklyn shot 62% from the field.
After the 12-1 in December, the Nets were not behind for the second game in a row. They are two wins away from matching the franchise’s longest winning streak, having twice won 14 straight in New Jersey.
“It just felt easy,” said Ben Simmons, who had nine assists and six rebounds.
Keldon Johnson scored 22 points for Spurs.
“They rolled from the jump to the end of the game,” Johnson said.
Irving was 6-6 in the first quarter, with three 3-pointers, for 15 points and the Nets shot 64% to open a 37-25 lead.
He eventually missed a 3-pointer in front of the Brooklyn bench, but teammates stormed off the sidelines moments later screaming and celebrating as he charged onto the lane after Yuta Watanabe’s missed jumper, knocking him down for a 46-27 lead.
Irving said it has been a struggle to regain his strength after spraining his ankle in the 2021 playoffs. He joked that his teammates’ reaction was because he was surprised at his jumping ability.
“I’m so close to being sick of people downplaying my athleticism sometimes in this locker room,” he said, clenching his fingers tightly.
Brooklyn led 74-47 at halftime and surpassed 100 points in three quarters for the second time this season, both in their last six games.
Devin Vassell scored 14 points for Spurs.
TIP INS
Spurs: Coach Gregg Popovich said he walked about 80 blocks in New York on Monday and ate Italian, Turkish and Lebanese food. Popovich noted he can pack a lot more on this trip as the Spurs have Tuesday off before they face the Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden near their team hotel. Spurs then scheduled a team dinner after Monday’s game. … The Spurs have lost to the Nets six times in a row.
Nets: The Nets were without Royce O’Neale and Markieff Morris due to illnesses unrelated to COVID-19. … Joe Harris scored eight points after missing four games with left knee pain. … The Nets congratulated Durant during the game for recently moving up to No. 15 on the NBA’s career scorers list. He passed five-time Spurs champion Tim Duncan. Football starts Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi were at the game, with Mbappé getting a thunderous ovation when he was shown after the third quarter.
NEXT
Spurs: Wednesday in New York.
Nets: Wednesday in Chicago.
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