Kevin Durant holds 3 of the top 4 playoff scoring performances in Nets history.
The Brooklyn Nets have had some elite scoring weapons in the history of the franchise, and some of those players have certainly left a mark during the playoffs. Let’s highlight their top five leaders for points scored in a single playoff game.
Kevin Durant, 49 points (2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 5)
Durant has three of the top four playoff scoring performances in Nets history, which demonstrates just how dominant he was as a scorer during the prime years of his career. He achieved this 49-point outburst in a 114-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, a game that handed the Nets a 3-2 lead in the series. Aside from scoring 49 points, Durant also recorded 17 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and two blocks across 48 minutes while shooting an impressive 16-for-23 from the field.
Kevin Durant, 48 points (2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 7)
Durant exploded for 48 points in the win-or-go-home Game 7 of the Eastern semis against the Bucks in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, shooting 17-for-36 from the floor and also racking up nine rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block across 53 minutes. Unfortunately, the Nets fell short and were eliminated by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks after losing that decisive game in overtime by a 115-111 score. Durant logged an impressive 53 minutes between regulation and OT.
Vince Carter, 43 points (2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 3)
Carter held the record for being the highest-scoring player in a playoff game for the Nets for quite some time after exploding for 43 points in a 103-92 loss to the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Playoffs. During that loss, Carter also delivered six rebounds and three assists while shooting 17-for-34 from the floor and 3-for-6 from three-point range. The Nets would ultimately lose the series 4-1.
Kevin Durant, 42 points (2021 Eastern Conference First Round, Game 4)
Durant showed glimpses of what he was going to do in the 2021 NBA Playoffs during the first-round matchup against the Boston Celtics. One of his best individual outputs came in Game 4 of that series, where the star forward shot an impressive 14-for-20 from the floor while carrying the Nets to a 141-126 victory. Durant also added four rebounds, five assists, a steal and two blocks across 40 minutes in that blowout win.
James Harden, 41 points (2021 Eastern Conference First Round, Game 3)
The Nets lost to the Celtics in Game 3 of the first-round series of the 2021 NBA Playoffs, but that ended up being Harden’s best scoring output in a postseason game while playing for Brooklyn. Harden finished that game with an excellent 41-point, 10-assist, seven-rebound line across 39 minutes, shooting 11-for-18 from the floor and 7-for-12 from three-point range.
