Durant enjoys Bay Area comeback
SAN FRANCISCO • Kevin Durant made a triumphant return to the Bay Area on Saturday, scoring 20 points to help the Brooklyn Nets to a convincing 134-117 National Basketball Association (NBA) victory over the Golden State Warriors.
The All-Star won titles with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, earning Finals Most Valuable Player honours both times before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in their 2019 losing championship series.
In the wake of that year-long injury, which ruled him out for the following season, he opted to leave for the Nets.
Despite intense speculation that his three trophy-laden terms with the Warriors had been soured by infighting, particularly with Draymond Green, Durant made it a point to show there were no hard feelings on Saturday.
His return came in the new arena in San Francisco that the Warriors moved into last season, although the lack of fans made his long-awaited appearance a more muted affair.
“It was good to see everybody,” said Durant, who had hugs for Green, Stephen Curry and Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “Wish Klay (Thompson) was healthy, but it’s good to be back in the Bay Area. I loved my time here, I loved playing for this team.
“But I’m glad we got a good ‘W’.”
Durant was back on the floor after a week in quarantine because of NBA coronavirus protocols.
Nevertheless, the forward, who had missed their last three games, meshed seamlessly with fellow All-Stars Kyrie Irving and James Harden, as the Nets not only delivered offensively but also shut down the Warriors’ offence.
Irving scored 23 points to lead six Nets players in double figures, while Harden added 19 and dished out 16 assists, as Brooklyn held the hosts to 48.9 per cent shooting – 26.5 per cent from three-point range – to win comfortably.
Curry, coming off a 40-point performance against the Orlando Magic, had a game-high 27 points but connected on just two of nine from three-point range.
The Warriors played a video tribute to Durant in the first quarter, and said they would put on a more elaborate celebration when he returns again with fans in the arena.
“I think it does mean something to him but he hasn’t shown it,” added Nets coach Steve Nash, acknowledging that without a crowd and with nearly two years elapsed since his departure, Durant’s return was “a comeback game that is less than what it may have been”.
Both teams are now at different junctures.
Golden State are rebuilding after finishing as the worst team in the NBA last term, with advancement to the play-offs – they are eighth in the West – probably the height of their ambitions this season.
Durant, on the other hand, is aiming to build a new dynasty with the Nets, who have never won the championship and are third in the East standings.
Looking back on how special it was to be on a Warriors team who once had four starting All-Stars as opposed to Brooklyn’s “Big Three”, he said: “My time here in Golden State was so much fun.
“It’s such a big learning experience, especially learning the game of basketball and a different philosophy. I’m going to take that with me for the rest of my life.”
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE