UNDATED (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 31 points on 11-for-15 shooting in his most productive performance in 2 1/2 months, as the Brooklyn Nets blew out the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-97. Durant played 27 minutes in his third game back from a strained hamstring that kept him out for 23 games.
The game was rescheduled from Monday night, in the aftermath of a fatal police shooting of a Black man in a nearby suburb. The Timberwolves held a moment of silence before tipoff for 20-year-old Daunte Wright. The Timberwolves played without Karl-Anthony Towns on the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death from COVID-19.
Elsewhere in the NBA on Tuesday:
— Jayson Tatum had 32 points, including a key 3-pointer in the final moments, and the Boston Celtics held off the Portland Trail Blazers 116-115 on Tuesday night to extend their winning streak to four games. Jaylen Brown added 24 points and Kemba Walker had 21 for Boston, winners of six of their last seven games. Damian Lillard had 28 points and 10 assists, and Carmelo Anthony had 25 points off the bench for Portland.
— Paul George scored 36 points and Marcus Morris Sr. added 22 to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 126-115 victory at Indiana. The Clippers have won six straight and 12 of 14 overall. George has won all four games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since he was traded by the Pacers in July 2017. Indiana was led by Malcolm Brogdon’s 29 points. Caris LeVert scored 26. Los Angeles broke it open by starting the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to make it 108-97. Indiana never recovered.
— Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 13 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns got 65 points from their bench on the way to a 106-86 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. Four bench players scored in double figures, including Cam Johnson, Cam Payne, Torrey Craig and Dario Saric.
— The Phoenix Suns tied an NBA record with 18 3-pointers in the first half on the way to a 126-120 victory over the Houston Rockets. Jae Crowder led the Suns with 26 points, all in the first half, and Devin Booker added 24. Crowder made a career-high eight 3-pointers. Christian Wood led the Rockets with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Kevin Porter Jr. added 22 points.
— Kyle Kuzma scored 24 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers held on for a 101-93 win Tuesday night against a Charlotte Hornets team missing five of its six top scorers. Dennis Schroder added 19 points and Andre Drummond chipped in with 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who closed out a seven-game road trip with a 4-3 record. Devonte Graham led the Hornets with 19 points.
— Bojan Bogdanovic scored 23 points and Donovan Mitchell added 22 as the Utah Jazz beat the struggling Oklahoma City Thunder 106-96 on Tuesday night. Luguentz Dort scored career-high 42 points and Moses Brown had 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Thunder, who have lost seven in a row and 10 of 11.
