New York, May 16 (EFE) .- Forward Kevin Durant stood out with a double-double of 23 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds that helped the Brooklyn Nets to easily beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 123-109 in the last game of the regular season that allowed them to secure the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
While Kyrie Irving helped with 17 points and joined a roster of seven Nets players who had double-digit numbers.
The Nets will begin the playoffs next weekend against the team that wins the Eastern Conference play-in game between the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, who will define the seventh place.
Durant made his first eight shots, one of them a dunk to end one of the season’s highlights, after recovering very well from a 4-of-17 outing on Saturday.
It was a strong finish to his first season with the Nets after missing the 2019-20 season while recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon.
The Nets rested guard James Harden after he played the last two games after an 18-game absence with a right hamstring strain. That meant Brooklyn finished the regular season with just eight Big 3 appearances, going 6-2.
But the Nets still managed to finish 48-24, holding off the Milwaukee Bucks for second place and setting a franchise record for the best game-winning record above 50 percent at any time in a season.
Rookie point guard Collin Sexton scored 16 points, but was ejected midway through the third quarter for a flagrant foul against Durant.
The Nets star was originally called up for the foul, but the replay showed Sexton elbowing Durant in the face on his drive, so the call was changed to flagrant two, which carries an automatic ejection.
(c) EFE Agency