NEW YORK (AP) – Kyrie Irving had 27 points and nine assists, James Harden scored 20 points and Networks extended their longest winning streak since switching to Brooklyn up to eight games with 129-92 routes Orlando Magic on Thursday night.
The Nets have the longest current winning streak in the NBA League and the longest of a series of 14 games they have played in a series of franchises late in the 2005-06 season. They moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn in 2012.
This roll came almost completely without Kevin Durant, who missed the sixth game in a row of a stretched left hamstring.
“We just want him to stay patient, to stay calm and when he comes back, the world will be warned again,” Irving said.
They are explosive enough with their other two All-Stars, improving to 7-2 when Irving and Harden play, but Durant does not.
Landry Shamet added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Nets, who opened the game with a 26-4 run at halftime. The best-achieving NBA team scored 120 points for the 20th time, and has already tied the franchise record in just 34 games.
Nikola Vucevic had 28 points and 12 rebounds for Magic, who dropped out second in a row after a three-game streak. They committed 18 turnovers, giving the Nets 24 points when they scored enough without any help.
“We can’t win, we can’t turn the ball around and that’s where it all started,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said.
Clifford predicted before the game that the Nets were so talented that there would be possession where his team defended well, and Brooklyn continued to score.
Orlando looked good early on, holding Brooklyn to five points in the first six minutes. Even after fixing things later, the Nets fell 28-24 after the first quarter.
It was the only highlight for Orlando. The Nets jumped abruptly from 12-2 in the middle of the second, giving them a 44-38 lead, and a 19-2 rise late in the period turned a three-point lead into a 65-45 lead.
“We can’t start every game like we started the rest of the games during this series,” Irving said. “So we just had to turn the next page and put together a few possessions, and we finished the first quarter well and I feel like that put us in a position to take control of the pace of the game.”
The Nets outscored Magic 41-19 in the second, shooting in 16 of 22 (72.7%).
Irving, who missed all five three-pointers in the first half, then made one before stealing and passing a 7-0 start from the locker room that increased to 72-47.
TIPS
Magic: James Ennis III was 5 for 5 and scored 15 points, two out of season. … Orlando fell to 1-7 against the Atlantic Division, including 0-5 away.
Networks: Coach Steve Nash said before the game that he had no news of Durant’s status. … Brooklyn has 12-3 against Orlando at Barclays Center, which is his best result against any opponent.
THROUGH 20
The Nets improved to 15-5 with Harden in the lineup. His first game with Brooklyn after being acquired by Houston was against the Magic, when he had a triple-double on Jan. 16, while playing with Durant while Irving was away. In this one, he finished with nine rebounds and seven assists.
KYRIE AND KOBEU
Irving talked about his desire for Kobe Bryant to become an NBA logo. He said he understands that not everyone would like the idea, but he believes using Bryant’s image would make sense for his generation of players looking for a superstar, who died last year in a helicopter crash.
“My thing is to pay tribute to the example set by that man,” Irving said.
“He was the standard for our generation and will continue to do so, and I want it to be something in history that changes forever, that our generation was part of that change as well.”
NEXT
Magic: Host Utah on Saturday.
Networks: Host Dallas is in its last home game before the All-Star break on Saturday.
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