On Sunday night, Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant couldn’t beat the Boston Celtics’ stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But a day later, Durant couldn’t be denied by the Celtics duo for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award.
Durant averaged 33.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 65.4 percent from the field to lead the Nets to a 3-1 record last week. He beat Tatum, Brown, Chicago’s Zach LaVine and Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray for the weekly honors, his second for the season.
With Durant leading the way, the Nets have steadily climbed to above .500 with a 13-12 record after a 2-7 start.
His week started with a 45-point effort against the Orlando Magic, followed by a 39-point game against the Washington Wizards. The beanpole forward flirted with a triple-double in an easy win against the Toronto Raptors Friday night with 17 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Durant’s first Eastern Conference Player of the Week award this season came exactly a month ago, when he averaged 30.8 points (first among Eastern Conference players), 8.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.8 blocks from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6.
Durant is expected to continue his hot shooting against the 7-16 Charlotte Hornets this Wednesday at Barclays Center. He is averaging 25.0 points on 49.5 percent shooting against the Hornets in 27 games throughout his career.
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