Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden, right, and Kevin Durant (7) try and put a stop on the Golden State Warriors Draymond Green (23) at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Tue Nov 16, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN— In a matchup of the NBA’s top two scorers – former teammate champions – at Barclays Center on Tuesday night, Golden State Warriors (12-2) star Stephen Curry came out on top with 37 points. Curry led his team to a 117-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets (10-5) and Kevin Durant, who scored his season-low 19 points.

At the end of the night, it was Curry who stood at half court and enjoyed “MVP! MVP! MVP!” chants.

“It’s fun for us but we appreciate the support. It’s nice to have that energy around when we’re traveling like that,” Curry said. “Doesn’t happen unless you win games, and you don’t win games by yourself.” Curry made nine 3-pointers and was 12 for 19 overall, boosting his average to 28.7 points per game.

Meanwhile Durant, who failed to hit 20 points for the first time this season and finished 6 for 19, dropped his average to 28.9 points per game.

Durant, who decided to leave the Warriors for the Nets more than two years ago, acknowledged that Curry is “a master at what he does… playing at an all-star, MVP, hall of fame level.”

The two players shared a warm embrace on the court after the game.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked whether Durant is a better player now than when he played for Golden State over three seasons, twice winning NBA Finals MVP.

“He was pretty damn good then, so he doesn’t look any different to me and that’s after an Achilles injury that kept him out for a year and a half,” Kerr said. “So that’s saying something. But I don’t think you can tell he had an injury, given his ability, his speed, his explosion.”

The game started out as a head-on duel. Brooklyn made their first six shots and took a 34-31 lead in the first quarter, with Durant and Curry scoring 12 points apiece.

Andrew Wiggins, who scored 19 points, hit triples for the last two baskets of the first half, including at the buzzer to give the Warriors a 63-58 lead.

The third quarter was when Golden State took control of the game, finishing with a 98-76 lead. The rest was history.

“This was a big game for us,” Wiggins said. “I felt like we came and showed the league that we’re here. That we’re deep and we’re here.”

The Warriors (11-2), leading the Western Conference, take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Tipoff is at 4:30 p.m.