Durant scores 53, Nets edge Knicks 110-107 as Irving watches

Durant also had nine assists and six rebounds in his 60th career 40-point performance.

Irving had a nice view while attending his first Nets home game this season, though still unable to play in New York. There is no longer a mandate that spectators are vaccinated against the coronavirus, but there is still one requiring it for someone who works there. Irving has not been vaccinated.

So the star guard had a seat in the stands, just as he did a night earlier to watch his college team, Duke, lose in the ACC championship game. He walked off arm-in-arm with Durant toward the Nets locker room after the game ended.

Andre Drummond had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who won their third straight. Bruce Brown scored 15 points.

Julius Randle scored 26 points and Evan Fournier had 25 for the Knicks, who finished 3-4 on their road trip. RJ Barrett had 24.

Durant scored 16 points in the first quarter and Brooklyn was ahead much of the way, but the Knicks rallied to take a 103-101 lead on Barrett’s basket. Drummond’s dunk tied it before Durant sprinted out to the wing to catch and fire in his fourth 3-pointer of the game. He finished 19 of 37 from the field.

It was a two-point game when Irving emerged to walk to his seats opposite the Nets’ bench with just under 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the first half. He walked through the stands from the further tunnel, with some fans chanting “Free Kyrie! Free Kyrie!” as he walked by. He exchanged some hugs at his seat, where he sat maskless.

Knicks: Obi Toppin returned after missing five games with a strained left hamstring and scored eight points. … Coach Tom Thibodeau said rookie Quentin Grimes, out with a right knee injury, was pretty much going at full speed and his next step was to take part in contact portions of practice. He had no update on Derrick Rose, who had a procedure to address a skin infection on his surgically repaired right ankle.

Nets: Seth Curry was originally in the starting lineup but was scratched because of left ankle soreness. … Nic Claxton scored 10 points.

Coach Steve Nash said it isn’t harder for the Nets to play without Irving than it was when all the mandates were still in effect, because they haven’t allowed themselves to think they’re any closer to getting him.

“We’ve been let down by this process a lot of times in a sense,” Nash said. “We’re hoping and wanting him to be able to return, so we have not really, I think, put ourselves in a position to think it’s happening for sure. We just keep proceeding with the task that we can control. That’s getting better every day and obviously we wish he was back yesterday, but the reality is we only focus on what we can control.”

Nash said Ben Simmons will continue to rehab and strengthen his back this week in hopes of getting more mobility. Simmons’ back began bothering him as he tried to build up his conditioning after not playing at all this season in Philadelphia and it’s unclear when he will be ready to fully practice or play.

Knicks: Host Portland on Wednesday.

Nets: Visit Orlando on Tuesday.