Durant drops 41 as OKC roll to win over Atlanta.
There were six games on the NBA schedule on Monday night, with the Toronto Raptors making the headlines with their finish over the Brooklyn Nets.
Patrick Patterson stole Deron Williams’ inbounds pass and made the go-ahead jumper with 6 seconds left as the Raptors snapped a five-game winning streak for the Nets for a second time this month.
The defeat leaves Brooklyn 10-2 in January, and Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry insists that their rivals are getting it together as they continue to put pressure on his team in the Atlantic Division.
“These guys are chasing us but they’re putting it together. They’re playing well,” Lowry said, according to ESPN.
“We’re the only team that beat them in 2014. I mean, that’s a tough team. They had the game and we made a play and we made a shot.”
Lowry finished the game with 31 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals to cap off a fantastic individual performance, while Paul Pierce led the way for the hosts with 33 points.
The win moves Toronto to 23-21 for the season and back into third spot in the Eastern Conference while Brooklyn slip to 20-23, although they remain in the playoff picture.
Elsewhere, Kevin Durant continued his hot scoring streak with 41 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
The star forward hit the game-winning jumper with 1.5 seconds left, capping a comeback as the Thunder trailed by 14 points in the second half.
Durant scored 13 points in the fourth quarter as he displayed the kind of intensity and passion associated with the playoffs, but he insisted after the game that they must enjoy their current form and use it as inspiration for the post-season.
Paul Millsap responded with 23 points and eight rebounds for the visitors, but that couldn’t prevent OKC improving to 36-10 for the season.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls saw their streak against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Kevin Love (31 points, eight rebounds) come to an end with defeat at the United Center, while the Los Angeles Clippers were also victorious on Monday night following their comprehensive winning road trip to Milwaukee to face the Bucks.
However, perhaps one of the more impressive teams in the league right now is the Phoenix Suns, who led all the way in a high energy performance against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Gerald Green scored 30 points and Goran Dragic added 24 as the Suns moved to 26-18, matched their season high for points and surpassed last season’s win total. They also improved to .500 on the road at 11-11.
NBA Results:
Phoenix Suns 124-113 Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors 104-103 Brooklyn Nets
Minnesota Timberwolves 95-86 Chicago Bulls
Los Angeles Clippers 114-86 Milwaukee Bucks
Atlanta Hawks 109-111 Oklahoma City Thunder
Sacramento Kings 99-106 Utah Jazz
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