Kevin Durant hailed Kyrie Irving's season-high 50-point performance in the Brooklyn Nets' 132-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets as a "masterclass".

Durant took a backseat as the Nets point guard hit nine three-pointers, shooting at 79 per cent from the floor, making 15-of-19.

Irving became one of 22 players in NBA history with five 50-point games, while he also became the second guard – behind Michal Jordan – in the league to have multiple 50-point games while shooting 75 per cent or better from the floor.

"Everything he does is pure. It looked so easy tonight," Durant told reporters after the game. "I seen [sic] it in his eyes to start the game.

"He wanted to play better last game, so he came out tonight and wanted to impact the game from the start. He led us all night. It was an incredible performance.

“Younger players should watch this game and learn what it takes to score at that level. That was just a masterclass."

Nets head coach Steve Nash added to the praise of Irving, labelling him an "incredible player".

"He's incredible. He's a career-highlight reel every night," Nash said. "We have a special player on our hands. Overall, he's an incredible player and shot creator."

The result lifts Brooklyn to a 33-33 record, sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference ahead of the final push for the playoffs, having won only four of their past 21 games.

Durant added: "It's always good to get a win. We definitely want to play better than we did in the second half.

"We know we're fighting for our lives every game to get into the playoffs or the play-in. It's good to get the W."

Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 50 points to help snap the Brooklyn Nets' four-game losing run with a 132-121 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.

Kevin Durant took a backseat to Irving's "master class", as the Nets point guard hit nine three-pointers, shooting at 79 percent from the floor, making 15-of-19.

Irving scored 30 points in the second half, with his Nets teammates contributing 33, helping them claim their fourth win from their past 21 games.

The 29-year-old became one of 22 players in NBA history with five 50-point games, along with becoming the second guard – behind Michal Jordan - in NBA history to have multiple 50-point games while shooting 75 percent or better from the floor.

Durant added 14 points with three rebounds and seven assists while Andre Drummond had 20 points with 14 rebounds.

Giannis stars as champions win fifth straight

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 39 points, shooting 13-of-19 including four-of-four from beyond the arc, as the Milwaukee Bucks crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 142-115 for their fifth straight win. Khris Middleton added 25 points while Bobby Portis had 18 points with 14 rebounds.

Devin Booker was still out but the Phoenix Suns triumphed after a late Mikal Bridges block in a 102-99 win over the Orlando Magic. Deandre Ayton had 21 points with 19 rebounds for the Suns.

Ja Morant scored 24 points with eight rebounds and eight assists as the Memphis Grizzlies downed the New Orleans Pelicans 132-111, while Darius Garland became the fourth player in Cleveland Cavaliers history with 40 points and 10 assists in a game (41 and 13) as they won 127-124 over the Indiana Pacers.

Splash brothers shooting off

The Golden State Warriors' splash brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson only managed a combined three-of-15 from beyond the arc but they snapped their five-game skid with a 112-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Curry and Thompson finished with 15 and 20 points respectively, while Reggie Jackson struggled with two-of-14 shooting for the Clippers.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash has confirmed Ben Simmons will be with the team on the bench for Thursday's return game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Simmons is expected to receive a frosty reception from the 76ers fans at the Wells Fargo Center as he returns for the first time since last month's trade to the Nets.

The point guard had a major fallout with the 76ers after a nightmare playoffs period, leading to him requesting a trade and opting not to play all season until a trade was finalised in February.

Nash said Simmons, who is yet to debut for Brooklyn, will not play for the Nets on Thursday but will be in attendance with the team which he felt he needed to get out of the way.

"It's great," Nash told reporters prior to Tuesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.

"He's on our team, he needs to be with his teammates and get the whole Philly thing out of the way a little bit. Maybe it never goes away, but the first time it's always nice to kind of deal with it and move on."

He added: "I don't think he's naive to think he's not going to get some boos. I hope he enjoys it. It's a part of the game I miss."

Simmons has not played since his trade due to a back complaint which has hampered his ability to get reconditioned to game standard having not played all season.

Nash was not clear-cut on Simmons' likely debut, with the Australian still not cleared to practice.

"It's to be determined," Nash said. "I think he's progressing this week, but I don't know what that means as far as Saturday.

"He'll see us [Wednesday] in Philly. I don't think he's ready for 5-on-5 basketball but he's improving, working out, and he'll join us in Philly, and a few good days of rehab."

Steve Kerr believes Nikola Jokic should win a second consecutive NBA MVP award after seeing the superstar center take apart his Golden State Warriors team.

Jokic finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists in the Denver Nuggets' 131-124 defeat of the Warriors.

It was a second straight triple-double and league-leading 18th of the season for the Serbian, who also tops the charts for double-doubles (52).

The Nuggets are missing Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. due to injury, but Jokic's 25.9 points, 13.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game have them sixth in the West – now just four games back on the Warriors, who have lost five straight.

Golden State have allowed 122.6 points per game across that losing run – the third-most in the league in that time – and Kerr was not surprised to see them punished by Jokic. The Warriors had rested Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.

"You score 124, you shoot 51 per cent, you make 17 threes, you're usually going to win," Kerr said.

"But we're playing against the reigning MVP, who probably should win it again. I don't have a vote, but Jokic is just an unbelievable player. He was spectacular tonight.

"He makes all of his team-mates better, he makes defense so difficult, because no matter what you do he's got a counter for it, and he's playing the game at such an easy pace. Things look so smooth for him out there.

"With our defense coming into this game already struggling, he's a tough guy to face when you're not already well connected at that end of the floor."

Luka Doncic maintained his record-breaking pace as he broke into the top 10 scorers in Dallas Mavericks history on Monday.

Doncic, still just 23 and in only his fourth season in the NBA, scored 35 against the Utah Jazz to move to 6,485 points in a Mavs uniform, nudging ahead of Jay Vincent (6,464) into 10th place.

The Slovenian has reached that mark in just 248 games, with only eight NBA players scoring more at this stage of their careers since 1963-64 – essentially a who's who of the sport's greatest names, including Michael Jordan (8,023), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7,896), Shaquille O'Neal (6,766) and LeBron James (6,593).

Only among Mavs players, nobody can match Doncic, with Mark Aguirre (6,169) the sole other to pass 6,000 points within 250 games. Unsurprisingly, Doncic's 26.1 career points per game lead all-time Mavs players.

"There's some great scorers on that list," coach Jason Kidd – who is 15th (5,258) – said after the win against the Jazz.

"To do it in less than four years... that's pretty impressive. Kudos to him. He's special, and he showed it tonight."

Doncic is scoring 28.0 points per game this season – good for fifth in the NBA, as Joel Embiid's 29.7 points lead the way.

After a slow start, the Mavs superstar has accelerated up the standings in his past 15 games, averaging 34.1 points as well as 10.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists.

Since the 1976-77 merger, the only other players to average 34 points, eight rebounds and eight assists over a 15-game span have been Jordan and Russell Westbrook.

Doncic told reporters he was not aware of breaking into the Mavs' top 10 but said of the scoring pace that put him there: "Is it good? Could be better, right? Could be better."

Russell Westbrook told a San Antonio Spurs fan not to "disrespect my name" and vowed to do so again as he stood by his wife's claims of death wishes.

Before Westbrook played in the Los Angeles Lakers' 117-110 defeat to the Spurs, his wife Nina revealed abuse she had received.

She wrote on Twitter: "When I'm being harassed on a daily basis over basketball games, and I'm having obscenity's [sic] and death wishes for me and my family sent my way because you're expressing your 'truth', it's hard for me to get on board with that."

And after the game, former NBA MVP Westbrook said: "I 100 per cent stand behind my wife and how she's feeling.

"It's not just this year. She's reached a point and my family has reached a point where it's really weighing on them.

"It's very unfortunate just for me personally because this is just a game, this is just a game. This is not end all, be all."

Westbrook has endured a tough season with the Lakers, for whom he is earning more than superstar team-mates LeBron James and Anthony Davis in 2021-22.

But the 33-year-old – who is averaging 18.1 points per game, his lowest mark since 2009-10 – has decided criticism of his displays is going too far when it involves abusing his family name.

"When it comes to basketball, I don't mind the criticism of missing and making shots," he continued. "But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue."

Westbrook revealed his approach had been altered by hearing of the pride his son, Noah, had in his surname, causing the Lakers star to push back at his "Westbrick" nickname.

"'Westbrick' for example, to me, is now shaming," he said. "It's shaming my name, my legacy for my kids.

"It's a name that means [a lot], not just to me, but to my wife, to my mom, my dad, the ones that kind of paved the way for me.

"A lot of times, I let it slide. But now it's time to put a stop to that and put it on notice. There's a difference. We need to make sure it's understood.

"And every time I do hear it now, I will make sure that I address it and make sure I nip that in the bud."

Gregg Popovich did not answer a single question on his record-tying 1,335th NBA win in his post-game news conference – and Jakob Poeltl revealed there was no discussion of the achievement in the San Antonio Spurs locker room either.

Popovich, in his 26th season with the Spurs, oversaw a 117-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers to move level with Don Nelson's all-time benchmark.

But the five-time champion and three-time Coach of the Year reserved no time for reflection on that feat in a short chat with the media.

Popovich preferred instead to discuss the Spurs' poor free-throw shooting, their "sloppy" first half and a strong defensive showing.

And Poeltl suggested it was a similar story in private, with the center – who had 18 points – expecting the 73-year-old to remain humble when he moves past Nelson with his next win.

"You guys know Pop," Poeltl said. "I don't think he really cares about stuff like that.

"It didn't even really get mentioned. I doubt it will get mentioned when we get the next win. It's just how he is."

It was left to Lakers coach Frank Vogel to salute his opposite number's accomplishment then.

"[I have] incredible respect for who he is as a coach," Vogel said. "We all, younger coaches, look up to him and admire him and respect what he's done and what he means to our game.

"I'm certainly happy for him. I wish it wasn't against us, but Pop's the best."

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rovers believes Ben Simmons deserves a tribute when the Brooklyn Nets visit on Thursday.

Simmons left the 76ers acrimoniously with a trade to the Nets after more than five years with Philadelphia.

The 25-year-old point guard endured a difficult 2021 playoffs leading to a fallout with the 76ers, demanding a trade and sitting out the first half of the season before the Nets move materialised. 

Simmons and 76ers center Joel Embiid fell out too, ramping up the tensions with the latter posting a cryptic Twitter update upon Simmons' exit last month.

“I do actually,” Rivers said when asked if Simmons deserved a tribute video upon his return. “Ben did a lot of good things here.

"It didn’t end well, right? Just like marriages and all kinds of other things that don’t end well but Ben did a lot of good things here.

"It’s funny, I don’t know if we are or not, but if we did, I’d have no issues with it.”

Simmons won the 2018 Rookie of the Year, had been a three-time All-Star and two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member with the 76ers reaching the playoffs in all four of his seasons with the side.

The Australian is yet to debut for the Nets and unlikely to play on Thursday as he builds up his conditioning having not played all season at the 76ers but may attend the game with the team.

Rivers sarcastically added: "Our fans are so silent so I can't imagine anything happening."

Meanwhile, James Harden shrugged off any talk of nerves ahead of the match-up where he will face his former Nets teammates for the first time since last month's trade with Simmons.

"I'm not nervous, it's basketball," Harden told reporters after Monday's 121-106 win over the Chicago Bulls. "I've put the work in to just play my game and live with the results.

"Honestly every game is a big game for us. We're fairly new, we've got championship aspirations so every game is a learning process for us no matter who we're playing."

All-Star Draymond Green has revealed he is targeting a return to the NBA next week after being sidelined since January with a lower back injury.

Green has not played for the Golden State Warriors since January 9, with the side struggling recently, losing nine of their past 11 games.

The 32-year-old four-time All-Star revealed that he was hoping to play next week when the Warriors face the Washington Wizards.

"Next Monday, the 14th, against the Wizards. That is the date I am targeting," Green said on his podcast 'The Draymond Green Show'.

"I am excited as hell. It's been two and a half months, almost ... I have never missed that much time during the season ... this is something different for me. I am extremely excited to get back out there with my guys to try right this ship."

Green was absent as the Warriors lost 131-124 to the Denver Nuggets on Monday, marking their fifth straight defeat.

The game was a catch-up fixture rearranged from December 30 due to COVID-19, which left Warriors head coach Steve Kerr frustrated, particularly with another game on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"It puts us in a way tougher spot than them," Kerr told reporters pre-game. "We had to fly here again. They didn't have to make an extra trip.

"They've got to play a back-to-back, I know. This was just another in many, many games rescheduled around the league that are inconvenient for everybody, but necessary to keep the league going, so you just do what you have to do."

On Green's progress, Kerr added: "He's had about a week, week and a half of being on the court almost every day, getting a lot of shots up, scrimmaging. He's feeling a lot better and coming along."

The Philadelphia 76ers maintained their perfect record with James Harden in the side with a 121-106 win over the slumping Chicago Bulls on Monday.

Joel Embiid scored 43 points with 14 rebounds while Harden had 16 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists as the 76ers made it six wins from their past seven games.

The 76ers are also 5-0 with Harden in the side, while the Bulls have lost their past five games.

Embiid recorded his 10th 40-plus point game this season, along with his 10th game this season with 40 or more points and 10 or more rebounds. The 76ers center also had his fourth quarter for the season with at least 15 points and five rebounds, which is an NBA high.

For the Bulls, All-Star DeMar DeRozan had 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Zach LaVine added 24 points.

Jokic records 18th triple-double

Nikola Jokic backed up Sunday's 46-point haul with another triple-double as the Denver Nuggets defeated the short-handed Golden State Warriors 131-124. Jokic had his 18th triple-double of the season by three-quarter time and finished with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists. The Warriors, who rested Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins in the catch-up game, have lost nine of their past 11 games.

Luka Doncic scored 35 points, with 16 rebounds and seven assists in a tense game, where the All-Star received a technical foul, as the Dallas Mavericks won 111-103 over the Utah Jazz. Doncic's game marked his third this season where he has scored 35 or more points and 15 or more rebounds, with Oscar Robertson the only other guard to achieve the feat in a single season.

Victor Oladipo returned for the first time since April last year for the Miami Heat scoring 11 points in 15 minutes as they beat the Houston Rockets 123-106, while top draft pick Cade Cunningham (28 points and 10 assists) lifted the Detroit Pistons to an over-time win over the Atlanta Hawks 113-110.

Spurs equals record as Lakers slump

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich tied Don Nelson's all-time NBA record for most coaching wins (1,335) as they won 117-110 over the Los Angeles Lakers without LeBron James. Russell Westbrook struggled in James' absence, with 17 points shooting five-of-14 from the field with five turnovers.

LeBron James has been ruled out of the Los Angeles Lakers' game with the San Antonio Spurs on Monday due to "significant" knee soreness.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel revealed the news prior to tip-off with James battling soreness in his knee following Saturday's 56-point display in the 124-116 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Vogel said the issue was ongoing and part of the 37-year-old's game-to-game management.

"He had some soreness in the knee the day after the game that [normally] subsides by the next game," Vogel told reporters pre-game.

"When we got here [San Antonio] the soreness today was still significant enough for us to rule him out."

The Lakers are struggling with a 28-35 record seeing them sit ninth in the Western Conference but James has been exceptional this season.

The 2003 number one Draft pick is averaging 29.4 points per game this season, behind only Joel Embiid with 29.5.

James, who is also averaging 8.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists this season, has the fourth highest league-wide minutes per game this season with 36.8.

"With the heavy load that he's carrying for us this year, we know that's [games out] always a possibility," Vogel said.

"That's why we continue to list him as questionable to see how it responds in the 48 hours between games. This is just one of those days where it was significant enough to hold him out."

Vogel said he was "hopeful" the four-time NBA MVP would be fit to play the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have confirmed All-Star center Jarrett Allen will be sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with a left middle finger fracture.

Allen suffered the injury in Sunday's 104-96 win over the Toronto Raptors that improved the Cavs' record to 37-27.

The 23-year-old only played 10 minutes, scoring six points with two rebounds, before sustaining a quad injury that forced him out of the game, with the finger issue later emerging.

"A CT scan administered today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health revealed a fracture and he will undergo additional evaluation and treatment," the Cavs said in a statement on Monday.

"No timetable has been set for his return to basketball activities and his status will be updated as appropriate."

Allen has been a key part of the Cavs' surprise playoffs push, averaging 16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks this season.

The Cavs are already missing Collin Sexton (knee), Caris LeVert (foot) and Rajon Rondo who was signed after Ricky Rubio's season-ending ACL injury.

Allen got his maiden All-Star call-up this season as a replacement for the injured James Harden.

Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets team-mates have no doubt the reigning MVP is the best player in the NBA again this season.

The Nuggets have been hampered by injuries to Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. this season but remain a competitive sixth in the West thanks to Jokic's outstanding displays.

The center's latest heroics guided Denver to a 138-130 overtime win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

Jokic finished with 46 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, four blocks and three steals – the first example of a player achieving those statistics in the NBA since blocks and steals were first tracked in 1973-74.

This sensational triple-double included 23 fourth-quarter points – matching Jokic's career high – and seven more in overtime.

Team-mate Aaron Gordon said: "[He is] phenomenal, different, he's just different. That's just not something that you see often.

"He took over, 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime; that's just sick. That was just an amazing game. He's an amazing ballplayer.

"This dude is incredible. I don't say that about a lot of people. I only say that about a handful of people. This dude is incredible.

"He's the MVP. I believe that. He's coming out night in and night out putting up ridiculous numbers, and we're winning. I don't know everybody that votes on it, but this guy has got to be at the top of the list."

Jokic ranks 11th for points per game (25.8), second for rebounds (13.8) and seventh for assists (8.0) this season, with his combined 47.6 just clear of MVP rival Giannis Antetokounmpo (46.9) in first place.

For Nuggets coach Michael Malone then, it was a "luxury" to be able to turn to such a player late in the game against the Pelicans.

"What a luxury to have the MVP in an overtime game knowing you can just play through him," Malone said.

"They double-teamed him, Monte Morris makes a big three. It's just such a confidence that you have because you know in a close game he's just going to make the play again and again.

"For him to step up the way he did just speaks to his greatness."

Jayson Tatum was living in dreamland after his 54-point haul in the Boston Celtics' 126-120 victory over a Brooklyn Nets team boasting Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on Sunday.

Durant and Irving teamed up for only the fourth time this season, but it was Tatum who took centre stage, shooting 16-of-30 from the field and eight-of-15 from beyond the arc.

His incredible display included 34 second-half points, with 18 coming during the final quarter as the Celtics overturned a one-point deficit.

While Durant put up 37 points in only his second game back from an MCL sprain, becoming the 23rd player to reach 25,000 career NBA points, Irving managed just 19 points with four rebounds and six rebounds.

And Tatum was thrilled to get the better of two stars of the game as the Celtics, for whom Jaylen Brown scored 21 points, improved to 39-27.

"As a competitor, night in, night out, but especially games like this, those matchups when you're [against] one of the better teams in the league with two of the best guys, just as a competitor, these are the kinds of moments that as a kid you dreamed about and looked forward to," he said.

"When those opportunities come, you try to make the most of it.

"Obviously, somebody like myself or [Brown] can have nights like this. And it's contagious when guys are hitting shots, spreading the wealth and making the extra pass, driving and kicking.

"Just getting those open looks and seeing them go in, it just opens everything up for us. We know how tough we can be on defense. When we kind of match that energy on offense, we'll really be special."

Team-mate Marcus Smart cited slight tweaks in Tatum's approach that had led to an upturn in his performances.

He said: "He stopped trying to force it, and making the right read, making the game easy for himself.

"Saving that energy and not trying to beat every double-team that comes his way and that's allowing him to do what he does at the end of games. He has the legs late in those fourth quarters to take over the games and that's what it's all about.

"When you are a great player, that's what it's about, having those legs in crunch time to be able to do that. The way you do that is getting everyone else involved, picking your spots wisely.

"He's doing a great job of that, him and Jaylen. They both are and that's the reason why we are doing what we are doing. That's good players that get us going on the offensive end, making sure we get great shots either for themselves or for their team-mates."

Jayson Tatum produced a dominant display with 54 points as the Boston Celtics won 126-120 over the Brooklyn Nets who had the rare partnership of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on Sunday.

Durant and Irving teamed up for only the fourth time this season but their presence would not deny Tatum's brilliance, shooting 16-of-30 from the field and eight-of-15 from beyond the arc.

Tatum, who scored 34 points in the second half, led the Celtics' late charge as they won after trailing by one point at the final change.

Durant scored 37 points in his second game back from an MCL sprain which kept him out since mid-January, becoming the 23rd player to reach 25,000 career NBA points.

Irving only managed 19 points with four rebounds and six rebounds for the Nets who slip to 32-33, while the Celtics have won 21 of their past 27 games to improve to 39-27.

Middleton scores season-high

Khris Middleton scored a season-high 44 points as Giannis Antetokounmpo took a back seat in the Milwaukee Bucks' 132-122 win over the Phoenix Suns, who were missing both Chris Paul (thumb) and Devin Booker (protocols). The Bucks, who have won four straight, stormed home with a 12-1 run over the last three minutes as Antetokounmpo got into foul trouble.

The Houston Rockets snapped their 12-game losing run with a shock 123-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, for whom Ja Morant scored 22 points with six assists. The Utah Jazz closed on Memphis in the west with a 116-103 win at the Oklahoma City Thunder as Bojan Bogdanovic hit a franchise-record 11 three-pointers for his 35 points.

Nikola Jokic scored 46 points, including 30 in the fourth quarter, as the Denver Nuggets won 138-130 over the New Orleans Pelicans in over-time. Jokic had 46 points plus 12 rebounds and 11 assists as the Nugs rallied after squandering a 21-point lead.

Allen injury sours Cavs win

The Cleveland Cavaliers won 104-96 over the Toronto Raptors but lost Jarrett Allen indefinitely to a suspected fractured finger. Rookie Evan Mobley had 20 points with 17 rebounds for the Cavs who are 37-27.