At several points in recent months, it was highly questionable whether Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would ever put on Brooklyn Nets uniforms again. Durant's trade request and the team's refusal to offer Irving a fully guaranteed contract this summer, as well as their suspension of the guard early this season, were legitimate signals of a potential end to the era.
Yet, through all the uncertainty, the duo remains in Brooklyn at the forefront of the team's title hopes. And now, Durant and Irving's stellar play in recent weeks has the Nets approaching legitimate contender status for the first time this season.
Brooklyn is 10-1 over its last 11 games. During that span, Durant has averaged 32.7 points (No. 3 in NBA) while posting the league's best field goal percentage (63.6) among 28 players attempting 18 or more shots per game. Irving has turned in his most consistent stretch of the season, averaging 28.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 50.8 percent shooting.
The duo is the league's highest-scoring pairing over the span at 60.1 points per game. Boston's Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown rank second at 56.7 per game.
Durant and Irving's heroics were on full display during another double-digit comeback win Sunday. Brooklyn fought back from 19 down, their largest comeback of the season, to beat Detroit, 124-121. Durant dropped 43 points on 14-of-22 shooting. The former MVP scored 26 points in the third quarter, including three straight triples to end the frame. The 26 points are the most Durant has scored in a quarter during his career.
Irving poured in 38 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter, on 13-of-23 shooting from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point range. The fourth-year Net scored 15 points in the fourth and drained a game-winning step-back triple during Friday's win at Toronto. Irving leads the league in fourth-quarter scoring this season at 8.3 points per game in the final quarter.
38 points (14 in the fourth) for KAI last night 🪣 pic.twitter.com/1LDydqoifM
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 19, 2022
Sunday's win marks the fourth time Durant and Irving have scored 30-plus in the same game this season. That matches Tatum and Brown for the most by a pair of teammates. Many have lauded the Celtics wings as the East's top star duo amid Boston's historic start to the season. However, Durant and Irving's brilliance has Brooklyn climbing the Eastern Conference standings with the Celtics struggling as of late.
The Nets have won six straight, while the Celtics have lost four of their last five. After a 2-7 start to the season, Brooklyn sits just three games back of Boston and Milwaukee for first in the East and one game back of Cleveland for third.
Brooklyn will have an opportunity to make up more ground during a three-game slate that features the Bucks and Cavaliers after a matchup with the shorthanded Warriors Wednesday.
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