Kevin Durant delivers all-time playoff performance as Nets beat Bucks
NEW YORK — Kevin Durant leaned his head back and puckered his lips, making the “ooh-wee” face that often follows a bite of food that’s a few touches too spicy or a wisecrack that hits too close to home.
Unless he’s barking at the officials, the Brooklyn Nets forward tends to favor a serene intensity during games and plays to the crowd far less often than his fellow superstars. At this stage of his career, the 32-year-old rarely impresses himself.
In the final minute of a pivotal Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, Durant saved a broken possession by hitting a deep, double-clutch three-pointer over Khris Middleton. The basket helped Brooklyn, which had trailed by 17 points in the third quarter, seal a dramatic 114-108 victory and take a 3-2 lead in this second-round series. With the Barclays Center crowd bathing him in cheers, Durant formed his mouth into an oval in a brief and understated expression of self-satisfaction. This was, however, a night worthy of a roar.
Nets Coach Steve Nash rightfully credited Durant for a “historic, historic” game, and teammate Jeff Green said, “The world is witnessing once again who the best player in the world is.” Durant’s box score line was something to behold: 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in 48 minutes. With Brooklyn’s title hopes wavering because of injuries to James Harden and Kyrie Irving, Durant responded by breaking the franchise’s playoff scoring record and never leaving the court. The Nets needed every last second.
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“What can I tell you? It’s not ideal,” Nash said of Durant’s workload, adding that Brooklyn had to “take a few risks” given its injury issues. “If we didn’t play him 48 [minutes], we probably weren’t winning tonight. It’s an easy decision that’s very tough to make. I hate to put him in that position. … For him to have the toughness and mentality, that’s what makes him one of the all-time greats. It was a signature performance from Kevin, and it was beautiful to watch.”
Durant told Brooklyn’s coaching staff during the second half that he felt comfortable going the distance without a breather. The last time he played 48 minutes in a playoff game that didn’t go to overtime was a season-ending loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013, when he was 24 years old. Back then, he was pressed into greater responsibility because Russell Westbrook was sidelined with a knee injury.
In Game 5, the Nets turned to Durant to compensate for Irving’s absence with an ankle injury and Harden’s limited mobility because of a hamstring injury. Brooklyn’s offense was bottled up in the second half of Game 4, and Durant had struggled to find the right balance between searching for his own shots and setting up his teammates.
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With two days to prepare and Harden back on the court, Durant registered the second triple-double of his postseason career and masterfully controlled the action down the stretch. He scored 20 points and dished two assists in the final period, and he came up with a crucial steal when Giannis Antetokounmpo lost control of the ball with 15 seconds left. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Allen Iverson were among the basketball luminaries to sing Durant’s praises on social media once the win was secure.
“I know the perception of me is that I can score the basketball well,” Durant said. “Any team I’ve played on, I’ve been asked to do pretty much everything from rebounding to defending to initiating to scoring. I might not do it all the time, but I do a little bit of everything out there. I knew that, at some point, Coach would ask me to screen, rebound, defend, bring the ball up, score, shoot threes. I work on everything I can in practice. When the game comes around, I’ve got to be ready to do everything. Tonight was one of those nights.”
To launch Brooklyn’s second-half comeback, Durant relied on contributions from several teammates, including Harden, who had missed the previous three games after he was hurt during the opening minute of Game 1. The all-star guard was initially ruled out in advance of Game 5, but he pushed Nash to let him play and made a surprise return to the starting lineup. Hoping to provide Durant with some playmaking help, Brooklyn chose to let Harden have the final say on his availability after he underwent workouts at the morning shoot-around and before the game.
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“He wants to play,” Nash said before Game 5. “He wants to win a championship. … It’s been really difficult on him given how much he cares and how much time he put in to get to this position. That’s definitely the source of his motivation right now. I understand and respect it. James is driving this. We have to try to support him the best way we can and be an aide for him to try to figure this out. It’s a tricky situation, but it’s one we’re willing to go down with James. He’s just been unbelievable for us this year, and we want to support him and see if he can do it.”
Although Harden moved well, drained deep three-pointers and even threw down a dunk during his pregame warmups, it wasn’t clear early on whether he would be able to contribute positively. Brooklyn fell into a 12-2 hole out of the gate, and Harden missed his first seven shots and went scoreless until the third quarter. In the early going, he settled for three-pointers and served as a decoy on offense while avoiding major exertions on the defensive end. There were clear moments of miscommunication as Milwaukee built a 59-43 halftime lead: Durant tossed a pass off Harden’s back, and Harden sailed a pass well over Durant into the baseline seats.
The Nets ironed out most of the wrinkles during a third-quarter push, and Green hit seven three-pointers to finish with 27 points off the bench. Harden stepped aside for Durant’s scoring takeover, peppering in well-timed passes to keep Brooklyn’s offense rolling as Antetokounmpo pushed back with 34 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Despite his uncertain health, Harden played 46 minutes and finished with five points, six rebounds and eight assists, providing just enough of a boost to make sure Durant’s big night wasn’t squandered.
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“My team needed me,” Harden said. “Simple. I feel great. We won. That’s all that matters. At this point, it’s by any means necessary. I didn’t expect to play, so 46 [minutes] is a lot. I’m built for it.”
The momentum in this series has shifted sharply three times over just five games, and the Bucks will hope it happens again at home in Game 6 on Thursday. For all of Durant’s heroics in Game 5, Milwaukee easily could have escaped Brooklyn with a win if it had executed better down the stretch. Antetokounmpo committed two turnovers and missed two free throws in the final period as the Bucks wilted in the face of Durant’s onslaught.
“[Durant] is the best player in the world right now,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’ve got to beat him as a team. We’ve got to guard him as a team. We’ve got to make him make tough shots. We’ve just got to keep doing our jobs, and hopefully he’s going to miss.”
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Even with all the superlatives flying, Durant had no interest in taking a walk down memory lane, declining to compare this night with his other greatest hits, such as a 43-point effort against James’s Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals or his postseason career-high 50 points against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019.
“I don’t even rank or look at performances,” he said. “Once they happen, I just try to move on and see if I can do it again. … We’ve got our work cut out for ourselves in Game 6. It’s going to be the toughest game of the year. … I can’t celebrate. We’ve got another game to try to finish it out.”
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