Kevin Durant drove on Cam Thomas, which is about as preposterous a scenario as the Nets could envision.
He bullied his way into the lane during the third quarter and rose as Thomas continued reaching in. Durant easily flipped in a bucket, heard the whistle signaling a foul and glared not at Thomas but at fans behind the basket.
The one-time (and short-time) Nets superstar brought his right hand up and extended his index finger and thumb about an inch apart from each other: the universal symbol for too small.
On this night, the Nets indeed had brought the JV to a varsity game.
In Durant’s return to Brooklyn, his Suns dominated the Nets — more so in the style of play than the final score — in a 136-120 win at Barclays Center over a Jacque Vaughn group that was severely undermanned, a word we mean literally.
The Nets (19-28) snapped a brief two-game win streak and have not won three in a row since early December.
This one, against the superstar who followed Kyrie Irving out of Brooklyn last year, must have hurt a bit more than most. It had to hurt the poor wings who had to guard Jusuf Nurkic the most.
Kevin Durant and the Suns defeated the Nets 136-120 in his return to Barclays Center on Wednesday night. Charles Wenzelberg/New York PostWithout Ben Simmons, Dorian Finney-Smith and Day’Ron Sharpe, the Nets were forced to put comparative ants on the Suns’ 7-footer whenever Nic Claxton was off the court. (Claxton, too, couldn’t hang.)
Nurkic thoroughly dominated the game, finishing with 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting, so many back-ins that met no resistance.
Nurkic added 11 rebounds, six assists and two blocks, helping his team outrebound the Nets, 52-36.
Simmons, who sat for nearly three months before returning Monday, was on the bench one game later with a knee contusion.
Finney-Smith missed a second straight game with an ankle sprain and Sharpe remains out with a knee injury.
Kevin Durant defends Mikal Bridges during the second quarter of the Nets’ loss. Charles Wenzelberg/New York PostSo it was wings such as Cam Johnson, Royce O’Neale and Spencer Dinwiddie who received the unfortunate matchup, and they were thrown around.
A team with Durant (33 points), Devin Booker (22 points) and Bradley Beal (12 points) was somehow led by a veteran center who has never been an All-Star.
The Nets had hung around for the first half and entered the break down just three. They were being badly out-rebounded but were careful offensively, turning the ball over just twice in the half and shooting 51.1 percent from the field in the early going.
They were not going to outmuscle Nurkic, Durant & Co., but they were going to try to outshoot and out-hustle them, grabbing 11 steals.
The plan unraveled in the third quarter, when a 75-75 tie at 7:31 became the last time the Nets could feel good about themselves.
The Suns ripped off a 24-6 run on the back of 10 points from Durant, and the game never again became competitive.
A big fourth quarter from Cam Thomas (eight of his 25 points in the last period) kept the final score respectable, but the Nets were never within single digits in the fourth.
The night had started with a dash of drama. Yes, Durant received a tribute video, one he had said he did not want to see, but it was brief and preceded the action.
He heard a mixed reaction — more cheers than boos — from a crowd who saw their complicated, one-time savior for the first time back at Barclays Center since the February 2023 trade.
Spencer Dinwiddie drives to the basket during the Nets’ loss to the Suns. Charles Wenzelberg/New York PostThe cheers disappeared when the game started, turning to boos every time Durant touched the ball.
Those booing fans might be hoarse in the morning, though. Durant kept touching the ball and pumped in 33 points on just 10-of-16 shooting to go along with eight assists.
“My experience with Kevin I’ll never forget,” Vaughn said before the game. “K made me a better coach. Nothing but good and fond memories for me. I’m glad I had the chance to coach him. He is an unbelievable player and one of the best to ever suit up.”
Nets fans can wearily attest to as much.
The Nets put six players in double-figures and got a nice game from Mikal Bridges, who continued his hot shooting (21 points). Lonnie Walker IV added 19 off the bench to go along with a team- and season-high seven assists.
But Wednesday was about the pieces the Nets no longer have. Durant of course, but also anyone who could guard a muscly center.
