On December 19, Beijing time, the 2022-23 NBA regular season continued, and the Brooklyn Nets challenged the Detroit Pistons away. After the game, the Nets relied on Durant's big comeback in the third quarter to defeat the Pistons 124-121 and win six straight games.
On the Nets' side, Durant exploded in the third quarter with 26 points, setting a career single-quarter scoring record, and he recorded 43 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. In addition, in the first quarter of the game, KD surpassed the Celtics' two stars John Havlicek and Paul Pierce to rise to 16th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
Before coming to Detroit, the Nets were going through a new honeymoon period, and recently, with the return of injured players, the Nets' rotation list suddenly became abundant. And Durant and Irving also seem to have found the best way to save energy and reduce emissions in the game, and during the five-game winning streak, especially Durant experienced the long-lost taste of happy basketball.
But in this game, facing the East-ended Pistons, the Nets were unexpectedly in trouble.
Throughout the first half, both teams were almost in an undefended state. The Nets' offensive efficiency is not bad, and they should have a huge psychological advantage against the Pistons. Unexpectedly, after only a few minutes of stalemate in the opening game, the Pistons quickly suppressed the Nets.
During this period, the Pistons' players on the outside used the advantage of speed to hit the inside again and again to score. In the face of the athletic talent of the Pistons youth, the weakness of the Nets' insufficient barrier on the outside began to be exposed.
Late in the first quarter, Pistons rookie Ive dribbled straight to the basket. In the face of Ivey's impact, Yuta Watanabe of the Nets has tried his best to chase and defend, but he is still half a step slower, and his opponent jumps high in front of him to complete the murderous violent block. This five-ball barrier may also somewhat remind Watanabe of the humiliating scene when he was dunked by Edwards.
But interestingly, at halftime, the Nets trailed by as many as 19 points, but the players could still maintain their composure. The reason is also simple, because they have the pair of Durant and Irving, especially KD, and the physical energy he has accumulated in the past honeymoon period should also come in handy.
Sure enough, Durant broke out in the third quarter of the game. For KD's ruthlessness, the Pistons' immature defense is very responsible. Because Irving hit consecutive three-pointers early in the third quarter, it made the Pistons' defense hesitate, and they had some slack in Durant's defense.
However, in this section, Durant has quietly turned on the Grim Reaper mode, but when the Grim Reaper knocked on the door, the young people of the Pistons did not really notice that after KD hit several balls in a row, their defensive resources did not tilt significantly towards KD.
So, the pistons paid for their own judgment. Later in the quarter, Durant first made three fouls and scored seven consecutive points with free throws. Then, the moment to witness the miracle came, and in the final minute of the third quarter, Durant faced the defense again, making three consecutive three-pointers.
The originally elated Pistons coach and home fans were completely dumbfounded after Durant's operation, and with 26 points in a single quarter, KD also single-handedly reversed the passive situation of the Nets.
In the following game, the Pistons had no chance to fight back, and Durant and Irving continued to produce steady output to help the Nets win again. And this reversal performance in adversity proves once again that the Nets have gradually returned to the best championship form expected...