Nets continue surge without Kyrie Irving, Doncic dismantles Blazers

AFP

The Nets keep pace in the Eastern Conference Profimedia

The Brooklyn Nets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-95 on Saturday for their fourth win in five games since Kyrie Irving's (30) suspension, while Luka Doncic (23) powered the Mavericks' win over the Blazers with a triple-double with 42 points.

The day kicked off in Los Angeles with another display of how the Nets have reacted since Irving, one of their two stars along with Kevin Durant, was suspended for promoting a film deemed anti-Semitic.

Durant shined on offence with 27 points and on defence with 2 steals and 2 blocks, while reserve Seth Curry stunned the Clippers with 14 points and 4 three-pointers in a blistering final quarter for Brooklyn.

Durant (34) is the first player to start a season with 13 straight games scoring at least 25 points since Michael Jordan did it in 16 games in the 1988-89 campaign.

In addition to Irving's absence, the Nets are also missing their third star, Ben Simmons (26), who again came off the bench and took 13 minutes to score his only basket.

"We're missing (Irving), so we're going to have to look for where those points are going to come from. I think the guys are doing it as a group," Durant said.

The Clippers were hampered by poor shooting from star Paul George, who scored 17 points on 5/21 shooting from the field.

Centre Ivica Zubac, with 16 points and 15 rebounds, and power forward Marcus Morris with 13, kept the Clippers alive until Brooklyn's shooters lit on fire in the fourth quarter.

Led by Curry, who finished with 22 points, the Nets went on an 18-2 run that ended the home side's hopes.

Irving to stay suspended

The Nets have rebounded from a dismal start to the season and although Irving has served the minimum five-game suspension, coach Jacque Vaughn said on Saturday that he will remain sidelined for at least Sunday's game against the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Irving, a seven-time All-Star, generated an NBA scandal by posting a link to the film 'Hebrews to Negroes: wake up black America' (2018) on his social media, which includes content deemed anti-Semitic, and repeatedly refusing to apologise afterwards.

Brooklyn still have two more clashes scheduled on its current West Coast tour: Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings and Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Luka shines, LaMelo makes his debut

In other games, Slovenia's Luka Doncic had a huge night in the Dallas Mavericks' 117-112 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, racking up 42 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

It was the fourth time the 23-year-old point guard has completed a triple-double with at least 40 points.

Doncic's performance stymied the surging Blazers, who were coming off three straight wins and a surge to second place in the West.

Their leader, Damian Lillard (32), had 29 points and 12 assists but Portland's inside game suffered from the absence of centre Jusuf Nurkic.

In his turn Jayson Tatum, (24) another early MVP candidate, led the Boston Celtics 117-108 win over the Detroit Pistons.

The All-Star forward, who scored 34 points against the Nuggets on Friday, increased his tally a day later to 43 points with 10 rebounds and seven three-pointers.

Tatum took on even more offensive responsibility with the loss of his partner Jaylen Brown and put Boston on the road to victory with a mammoth third quarter in which he scored 15 points.

Sunday also saw the season debut of Charlotte Hornets' young point guard LaMelo Ball (21), who had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 132-115 loss to the Miami Heat.

Ball, voted Rookie of the Year in 2021, missed the first month of competition with Michael Jordan's franchise with a sprained ankle.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-109, led by Cameroonian centre Joel Embiid (28), who led the way in the paint with 42 points and 10 rebounds.