TORONTO — Kevin Durant had 31 points, James Harden scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Brooklyn Nets won their fifth straight game, beating the Toronto Raptors 116-103 on Sunday.
Blake Griffin had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Patty Mills scored 13 points to help Steve Nash earn the victory in his first trip north of the border as an NBA head coach.
Harden narrowly missed his second straight triple-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Durant reached 20 points for the 10th straight game, extending both his career-best streak to begin a season and the Nets’ record for 20-point games at the start of a season.
Fred VanVleet scored 21 points, OG Anunoby had 16 and Gary Trent Jr. scored 15 for the Raptors, who have lost two straight after winning the previous five.
CAVALIERS 126, KNICKS 109: Ricky Rubio scored a career-high 37 to help Cleveland win at New York.
Cleveland has won four in a row to improve to 7-4. Evan Mobley added 26 points, Jarrett Allen had 18 and Darius Garland 16.
Rubio’s previous career high was 34 for Utah against San Antonio in 2018.
Julius Randle led the Knicks with 19 points.
MAGIC 107, JAZZ 100: Cole Anthony scored 10 of his career-best 33 points in the fourth quarter and keyed a closing 24-11 run that helped Orlando win at home.
Wendell Carter Jr. had a season-best 22 points and 15 rebounds. R.J. Hampton scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter, including 3-pointer with 21 seconds to play that made it 105-100.
Utah’s Donovan Mitchell scored 21 points, and Rudy Gobert added 21 points and 15 rebounds.
WIZARDS 101, BUCKS 94: Bradley Beal scored 30 points and Washington beat visiting Milwaukee.
Kyle Kuzma added 15 points and 10 rebounds to help Washington snap an eight-game losing streak against the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 18 rebounds for the defending champion Bucks, who have lost five of six to drop to 4-6.
PACERS 94, KINGS 91: Caris LeVert scored 22 points and visiting Indianapolis held on after blowing a 15-point lead.
Harrison Barnes scored 22 points for the Kings.
THUNDER 99, SPURS 94: Mike Muscala scored 20 points in 14 minutes, and Oklahoma City rallied for a win at home.
Keldon Johnson scored 22 points for the Spurs.
WARRIORS 120, ROCKETS 107: Jordan Poole scored 15 of his 25 points in the first quarter and Golden State beat visiting Houston.
Stephen Curry added 20 points and three steals to help the NBA-leading Warriors improve to 8-1 with their fourth victory in a row.
Jae’Sean Tate led Houston with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Rockets have lost eight straight and are tied with New Orleans at an NBA-worst 1-0.
NOTES
THE NBA told its players, coaches and referees on Sunday that they should receive booster shots against the coronavirus, with particular urgency for those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The league and the National Basketball Players Association – working jointly based on guidance from the NBA’s public health and infectious disease experts – said those who received Johnson & Johnson shots more than two months ago should get a booster. The booster recommendation also was made for those who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine at least six months ago.
The league recommendations, which were obtained by The Associated Press, called for those who got Johnson & Johnson vaccines originally to seek a Pfizer or Moderna booster. Those who got Pfizer or Moderna may simply get whatever booster is available, the league said.
Some teams already have been planning for players to receive booster shots when available. A small number of previously vaccinated NBA players have tested positive this season for COVID-19 and entered the league’s health and safety protocols.
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