Durant leads Brooklyn By Pesky Minnesota

The Brooklyn Nets started off sluggish, trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves by as many as 11 in the first quarter, but the offensive aggression of both Kevin Durant, who scored 30 points and nailed 12 free throws, and James Harden, who also hit 12 free throws in a near triple-double performance, led the team to a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Patty Mills, in the starting lineup without the injured Joe Harris, contributed 23 points in the win, his eighth time scoring 20 or more this season.

“(They) played more free without their best player,” Durant said of Minnesota, who were without Karl-Anthony Towns. “Those shots were falling in the first quarter. After that, you start to see they were inconsistent with their shot. We weathered the storm and were able to get a solid win and I look forward to (Chicago Saturday).”

“It wasn’t a masterpiece,” Brooklyn Nets Head Coach Steve Nash surmised after the game. “(Minnesota) junked up the game and did a really good job of it,” Nash said of the Timberwolves defensive strategy. “We struggled to get off the ball quickly, make quick decisions and it led into their game plan. But in the end, it was a very easy game to lose the way it was going and we found a way to win.”