Brooklyn Nets pull out win over Milwaukee Bucks on the road

Benn Simmons fights for possession of the ball against the winless Milwaukee Bucks.|Art or Photo Credit: AP

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored 23 points, Kevin Durant had 19 points and eight assists and the Brooklyn Nets won their first game of the preseason, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 107-97 Wednesday night.

Nick Claxton had 16 points and nine rebounds for Brooklyn, which snapped a two-game skid. Ben Simmons finished with seven points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led winless Milwaukee with 24 points and 14 rebounds in 32 minutes. Jrue Holiday finished with 20 points and Jevon Carter, starting alongside Holiday at guard, added 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting. The Bucks fell to 0-5 in the preseason.

Nets coach Steve Nash said before the game that he wanted his key players — Irving, Durant and Simmons — to play some extra minutes together as players began ramping up for the start of the regular season next week. Irving played 33 minutes, while Durant played 31. Simmons, who also had a pair of steals, logged 28 minutes.

The game matched Eastern Conference teams entering the season with plenty of optimism. Milwaukee is a year removed from its championship. For Brooklyn, a lot of promise last season was hindered by injuries and Irving’s inability to play at home because of COVID-19 vaccination issues.