NEW YORK – Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and James Harden joke at an impressive pace – and history books support this.
On Monday night, they became the first duo to score 30 points in each of the first two games with a franchise, while the Nets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 125-123. Durant had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, while Harden scored 34 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists.
This was due to Harden’s 30-point triple-double performance on Saturday against visiting the Orlando Magic in his Nets debut, a game in which Durant scored 42 points.
Since Harden’s arrival in Brooklyn, coaches and Nets management have repeatedly said they will build on the previous chemistry Harden and Durant built during their tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder. After all, Harden hasn’t had a single training session with Brooklyn yet.
Harden said their maturity helped them further in the field.
“We were young in Oklahoma City,” said Harden, 31, who played with Durant, 32, on the Thunder from 2009 to 2012. “We’re grown up now. We know what we want. We really know the basketball game now. No “We’re the young people who want to run and shoot and dive all day. And then, for me, I sit down and I know what Kevin Durant is. He’s one of the best players to ever play basketball.”
Harden and Durant combined for 138 points in their first two games together in Brooklyn, according to ESPN Stats & Information. This is the second combined point for teammates in the first two games, along with a franchise in NBA history, after Wilt Chamberlain and York Larese scored 151 with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1961. Chamberlain scored 139 of the 151 points with Larese with 0 in their first game together and 12 in the second.
Durant said he’s not surprised how quickly he and Harden spin on the field.
“I’ve been through a lot in this league,” Durant said. “We experimented a lot, and for us to gather it now and combine what we have learned over time and try to play great basketball, I think it was quite perfect for us.
“It was an easy transition, especially when James handled the ball a lot. So we’re still trying to find our way and we still have room for improvement, but it’s a solid start.”
And on Tuesday, the Nets are expected to add another ingredient to the mix, as Kyrie Irving is due to practice for the first time in more than two weeks.