DALLAS — For three quarters, the Nets and especially stars Kevin Durant and James Harden struggled to put the ball in the basket against the Mavericks Tuesday night at American Airlines Center while trailing by as much as 17 points in the third period. But when crunch time arrived, so did Durant and Harden as they put together a 16-4 run to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter.
In the end, it was Mavs star Luka Doncic who couldn’t get his shots to fall as the Nets pulled out a 102-99 victory to avoid what would have been their first back-to-back losses of the season and hang on to first place in the Eastern Conference.
Patty Mills hit a three-pointer to put the Nets on top for good with 2:48 left. Durant and Harden combined for 17 of the Nets’ 27 points in the final period, and they held the Mavs to 13 points. Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. each missed potential tying threes on the final possession.
