Kyrie Irving scores 40, James Harden hurt in Nets win

Kyrie Irving scored 40 points, including a critical 3-pointer in the final minute, and Jeff Green made a pair of free throws with 3.7 seconds left to seal the host Brooklyn Nets’ 114-112 comeback win over the New York Knicks on Monday, April 5 (Tuesday, April 6, Manila time).

The Nets, playing the second leg of a back-to-back, carried over some of the struggles from their 115-107 loss Sunday in Chicago. Brooklyn fell behind by 10 points at halftime and lost James Harden after just 4 minutes due to hamstring tightness.

New York led by as many as 13 points in the 3rd quarter, but a 10-2 run to close the period gave the Nets a one-point edge heading into the 4th quarter.

Brooklyn pulled ahead 112-107 with a minute left when Irving hit a step-back 3-pointer, his second 3-pointer of the quarter and fifth of the game.

New York rallied with 5 quick points, including a game-tying 3-pointer from Alec Burks with 26.1 seconds left. On Brooklyn’s ensuing possession, the Knicks double-teamed Irving in the corner, forcing the ball into Joe Harris’ hands.

Harris missed a short, contested jumper, but Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot’s offensive rebound set up the deciding foul shots.

Green finished with 23 points for the Nets, who hold a half-game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Harris scored 16 points and grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds, and Alize Johnson added 12 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.

Julius Randle recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists for the Knicks.

RJ Barrett shot 4-of-6 from 3-point range en route to a team-high 22 points for New York. Reggie Bullock, who scored 21 points, made 5-of-10 from deep on a night when the Knicks hit 48.3% from beyond the arc. – Rappler.com