One recreation after the Nets’ Massive 3 posted their most spectacular win collectively since Kyrie Irving returned final week from COVID exile, they have been right down to only one famous person Thursday night time towards the Thunder.
On the one-year anniversary of the commerce with the Rockets that introduced James Harden to Brooklyn, he couldn’t entrance a lineup with out Irving (on account of New York Metropolis’s COVID vaccination mandates) and a resting Kevin Durant to victory on the Nets’ dwelling court docket.
Harden’s 26 factors and 9 assists weren’t almost sufficient because the road-weary and undermanned Nets have been pounded, 130-109, by the Thunder at Barclays Heart for his or her sixth loss in 9 video games to achieve the halfway level of the season with a 26-15 mark.
The nine-time All-Star actually sounded pissed off about all the roster uncertainty surrounding his would-be championship contenders.
“It feels completely different once we’ve acquired everyone there. Like, [Wednesday] night time was simply the way it’s presupposed to be the vast majority of the time,” Harden mentioned, referring to the Nets’ blowout win Wednesday night time at Jap Convention-leading Chicago. “However we’re coping with no matter we’re coping with, so we’ve acquired to simply flow and determine it out recreation by recreation.
“Ideally, we'd like to have [Wednesday’s] group each single recreation after which see how we will interact ourselves, see what we will get higher at, see what we’re not nice at. Nevertheless it’s sort of arduous to inform as a result of we’ve acquired completely different lineups each recreation. We’ve simply acquired to maintain pushing, I suppose.”
Irving was again out of the lineup once more on account of New York Metropolis’s COVID-19 mandates after he performed this week at Portland and Chicago. Harden had joked after the Nets’ win Wednesday over the Bulls that he was “gonna give [Irving] the shot” for availability at dwelling video games, however coach Steve Nash mentioned once more there was no change in Irving’s standing.
“I believe as coaches we’re always analyzing ourselves and so, that's true. We haven’t had our entire group,” Nash mentioned. “We’re higher when we've our entire group. In virtually all eventualities. Having mentioned that, there’s slippage since we got here again from the COVID break.
“Clearly we’re all the time wanting on the particulars, all the time issues which have slipped and issues that we have to get again on high of.”
The Nets appeared each bit like an undermanned squad enjoying its fourth recreation in 5 nights once they allowed the Thunder to pour in 70 factors within the first half, whereas nailing 11 of 24 from lengthy distance within the first half (20-for-45 general) and carrying a 19-point benefit into intermission.
The Nets closed a 22-point gap to 10 within the third quarter, with David Duke Jr. (13 factors) nailing a few long-range pictures and Bruce Brown additionally contributing six factors within the session. However Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (game-high 33 factors) and Darius Bazley (16) mixed for 11 factors in a 15-8 run to shut the quarter for a 100-83 Thunder benefit getting into the ultimate interval.
Harden related on simply seven of twenty-two makes an attempt from the ground for the sport, however he drained a pair of 3-pointers early within the fourth quarter to key a 13-4 spurt, capped by a lefty drive from Cam Thomas (21 factors) and the Nets closed inside 104-96 with 8:28 remaining.
The Thunder (14-27) responded with long-range buckets from rookie Josh Giddey (19 factors), Luguentz Dort (27) and Gilgeous-Alexander to push the lead again to 18 with 5:30 to go.
“I'd describe it as a whirlwind. It’s one thing new each single day,” Harden mentioned of the primary half of the season. “It’s fairly tough, however we simply take care of it internally and we simply preserve going.
“Hopefully in the direction of the tip of the season and even after the All-Star break and hopefully before that, we will have our full roster and catch an actual rhythm to the place we all know what the hell we’ve acquired on this locker room.”
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