The Brooklyn Nets‘ struggles at the Barclays Center this season continued on Thursday night, but there’s reason for optimism after superstar Kevin Durant made his long-awaited return from injury and dropped 31 points on the Miami Heat in a close loss.
Playing for the first time since January 15th, Durant was still relatively sharp from the field, shooting 10-of-21 for a shooting percentage of 47.6, just a few points below his season average.
The Nets were unable to take advantage of a short-handed Heat team missing Jimmy Butler, but Miami’s Bam Adebayo had a big night, scoring 30 points on 15 shots. Tyler Herro had another solid outing off the bench, adding 27.
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The Nets will next head to Boston for a Sunday afternoon showdown with the Boston Celtics. Here’s what fans and analysts were saying about Thursday’s game: