There’s a No. 1 total decide each NBA season, however there’s solely ever going to be one Kevin Durant.
It was the primary matchup between Durant — the No. 2 total select of Texas in 2007 — and Paolo Banchero, the highly-touted first total select of Duke this previous summer time. Durant confirmed Banchero simply how far he has to go hanging 45 factors to steer the Nets to a 109-102 victory over the Magic on Monday.
The Nets (11-11) are again to .500 for the primary time since they have been 1-1.
Monday’s recreation between the Nets and Magic appeared so much like varsity towards a JV squad.
In this occasion, the JV doesn’t stand for head coach Jacque Vaughn.
Durant lapped the Magic individually, doing most of his injury straight out of the halftime break. He scored 19 of his 45 factors within the third quarter alone, taking management of the sport shortly after shoving scrappy Magic guard Najee Harris off him because of his bodily protection.
“Teammates setting great screens for me,” Durant stated after the sport. “The paint was opened up because we were spaced out properly. I just had to knock down shots and I did that.”
It was a season-high scoring evening for Durant, who solely hit 4 free throws and three threes on the evening. YES Network analyst and ex-Net Richard Jefferson stated it greatest:
“He’s just bucketing them to death,” Jefferson stated.
And he gave it to Banchero on the opposite finish. The presumptive Rookie of the Year frontrunner (although Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin could have some ideas) scored 24 factors on 9-of-17 capturing from the sphere, however struggled to attain when blanketed by the Nets star.
On one defensive possession, officers bailed Banchero out of a tricky turnaround fading soar shot with a foul name. On the very subsequent defensive possession, when Banchero went to an analogous transfer, Durant pressured a journey.
It was Orlando’s breakout star Bol Bol who stole the present early. The 7-2 Bol — son of NBA legend Manute Bol — scored 24 factors on 10-of-15 capturing from the sphere. His distinctive enjoying fashion — a lanky ball handler with a three-point stroke — shined at Barclays Center. Bol went coast to coast to complete on the rim round Kyrie Irving with an and-one layup. He additionally hit a pull-up three proper over Royce O’Neale to make it a five-point recreation late within the fourth.
The Nets discovered a solution to win with out persevering with their sizzling capturing streak.
They solely shot 9-of-28 from deep and recorded simply 20 assists, bucking a current development of assists resulting in three-pointers made.
On some nights, the remainder of the group can take a time off, as a result of Durant has the flexibility to place a group on his again.
An skill Banchero may have at some point if he places within the work that’s earned Durant the title of one of many Top 75 gamers in NBA historical past.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com