Not Kevin Durant? No problem.
After the Nets talked about stealing a game with the star in front resting, it was not stolen: it was won.
The Nets continued to boost momentum with a 147-125 victory Friday in Oklahoma City, tying their regulatory results with the highest score in team history.
“I am very satisfied every time you can win. But every time the whole team played well we can do great things, because a group definitely stands out from the rest, “said Kyrie Irving. “Definitely proud of our boys because they competed on both ends of the floor and didn’t let go of the gas pedal.”
Irving had 25 points and seven assists, while James Harden dominated with 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. He has three triple doubles and a 6-2 record as Net.
“It simply came to our notice then. James manages the game so well, spreads the floor, scores, assists, recovers, gets his hands on the defensive balls “, said coach Steve Nash. “Kyrie was just an incredible photo. He is able to play amazing basketball games and is such a big threat that it is difficult to defend for defense. ”
Clear. Harden’s game made everyone around him better, the nine Nets players, in double figures, matched a team record set on April 8, 1984.
Joe Harris added 20 points out of 5 from 9 deep. With Landry Shamet (3 of 7) and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (4 of 8) finally hitting from the outside, the Nets shot 57 percent and led by up to 25 in winning the fourth in a row.
“It simply came to our notice then. The ball was moving. We were active at both ends of the floor. The coaches developed a beautiful game plan and we executed on both ends of the ball “, said Harden. “We like to see reports, and the last few games we took over. I played well – especially defensively – and it shows. We just have to keep it that way. “
The Nets (13-8) won eight of the last 10 to move to Milwaukee in second place in the east.
Nash juggled his rotations, giving Harden only his second career on the field in front of the field and Bruce Brown, with a defensive idea, nodded to slow down Shaw Gilgeous-Alexander. Everything turned out that way.
The Nets came in after falling five in a row against OKC, but received rewards for a loss from the previous Barclays Center season on January 10th.
“They came to Brooklyn and blew us up, so we had something to prove,” said Brown, who had 19 points in the 9-for-11 shootout with five rebounds. “I just communicated on the floor. We were all in a row. We knew what we wanted to do, we were trying to limit Shai’s touch. We knew the game plan and we stuck to it. ”
The Nets finished 19-18 after a triple by Al Horford, with 4:43 left in the first quarter. They then ran an extended 33-8 run, holding OKC without a bucket for 8:08 in the first and second quarters.
The Nets forced seven straight misses and four turnovers during this time, taking full control and never returning it.
The Nets scored the first 15 unanswered points to open the second quarter. Jeff Green’s strong power on a Harden feed made it 51-27, with 8:53 left in the half.
By the time Luguentz Dort broke through, the game was over.
The Nets’ lead was 76-59 at the break, the second highest score they scored in a first half in their Brooklyn era. And their 115-94 advantage, which entered the fourth quarter, was the second largest of three in the team’s history, behind the 120 they hung in San Antonio on March 6, 2020.
Chris Chiozza’s Brown Alley-oop with 1:39 left lined the pillow at 145-120.
“We’re slowly trying to get to both ends of the floor,” Nash said. “We fought defensively sometimes, but we become more solid with our defensive game plan, which is important. Offensively, you start to see a little more flow. ”
“We will be challenged every night. We will get the best shot of all “, said Irving. “But what we’re doing now is just finding continuity so we can use the strengths we have.”