Kevin Durant has 37, Nets beat Jazz to extend good stretch

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Already without Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, the Brooklyn Nets were down another starter to illness and lost one to injury.

They still had Kevin Durant, and that was enough against Utah.

"He made us pay," Jazz forward Rudy Gay said.

Durant had 37 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and the Nets beat the Jazz 114-106 on Monday night for their sixth win in seven games.

Bruce Brown added 22 points for the Nets, who stayed in sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Nic Claxton, starting for ailing center Andre Drummond, made all five shots and scored 11 in the Nets’ 38-point third quarter that broke open the game.

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Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant (7) celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, March 21, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Durant scored 15 in that period and said Brooklyn's strong play lately has been a team effort.

"I just think we’re rallying around each other," he said. "We’re making big plays, we’re just doing it together more than anything. It’s just a collective effort."

Mostly, it's Durant. Gay was asked how a two-point game got away from Utah so quickly in the third.

"KD had like 20 points. That’s probably the start," Gay said.

He said Durant punished Utah for strategic mistakes, which included having centers Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside trying to contain the superstar forward at times.

"We heard they were starting to switch, so really it was just get him the ball and get out of the way," Brown said. "We know Gobert and Hassan can’t stay with him at all."

Clax