James Harden has not been aggressive since he came from Houston, but is still trying to get on the thin line of his new team. But with Kevin Durant finally looking deadly for the first time, Harden led the Nets to victory.
Closed in the fourth quarter with Eastern Conference champions, Harden took what had been a tight game and turned it into a 98-85 Miami explosion Monday night at Barclays Center.
With Brooklyn clinging to an 81-80 margin, which at best was weak, Harden and Irving kicked off a 15-0 round that removed the Short Heat.
“It simply came to our notice then. We didn’t have the best night of scores offensively, defensively, we just stayed with him, he made it very, very difficult for them “, said Harden. “Offensively we didn’t play well, but defensively we thought we were active there, we challenged the shots and made things more difficult for them as a team.”
Harden finished with 20 points, eight assists and four rebounds, while Durant added 20 and 13 rebounds. While Harden himself has not been typical since arriving from Houston on a four-team mega-deal with Durant struggling from the floor, Harden was the one to score 10 points in that key race.
“Just be aggressive. I was not very aggressive throughout the game. That area shook us a bit in the sense that he wanted to slow us down. There were a few good men and I lost a little weight, so my colleagues trust me to play basketball, to be aggressive and that’s it.
“I realize, only five games have passed and for that we have a long season. Once we all find that balance, our team will be much better. But it’s still early. As we learn, we try to accumulate as many victories as possible. It’s a great feeling when you can do both. ”
Before the game, Steve Nash had admitted that he wanted Harden to be more aggressive. On Monday, the three-point champion had no choice.
Durant struggled to shoot 6 of 21, including a 2-of-13 start. But the Nets found another way to win.
“I just wanted to be a little more aggressive. You obviously know Kevin and Kyrie [Irving] they are very, very good markers. Easy photos that they missed are normally taken, ”Harden said. “We wanted to finish the fourth quarter in the right direction and we did it defensively.”
Brooklyn’s slanderous defense kept Miami at just 14 in the fourth quarter as the Nets won for the sixth time in eight games.
The Heat (6-10) played without Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro; but they defended themselves and gave up like all Erik Spoelstra teams. And they tested the Nets with 2-3 zones and 3-2 zones, pushing the string of 12 consecutive games in Brooklyn, scoring over 110 points.
“They definitely made the game and turned it into a physical game and they managed to stay in the game until late in the fourth,” Durant said. “Our defense kept the whole game tight and once we managed to start making a few shots there in the fourth, we managed to get away, but our defense definitely won this game for us.”
Brooklyn came out colder than the weather. The Nets missed the first five shots that fell into a quick 8-0 hole and set the tone for much of the night. They shot just 4 for 21 in the first quarter and missed the first 11 attempts behind the arc, until Joe Harris finally hit deep, with 9:30 left in the half.
The Nets still watched 45-38, with one minute left before the break – and 61-56 in the third – before finally starting to get a traction.
Hanging from an 81-80 edge, Harden drilled a step back 3 with 4:59 left, and then a stretch to push the lead to six. After Harden’s pathetic defense increased to the other end, blocking Kendrick Nunn, Irving’s bucket made it 88-80 with 3:54 to play.
Harden and Harris added 3 clues to reach him at 16, sticking a dagger in Miami.
“The boys were tired,” Nash said. “I could not buy a basket. I looked a lot good. Tired of shooting the ball, but also tired in the sense that we remained a little stagnant against the area after a very good performance against it last night. In general, it was just that they were there and James climbed up and took some great photos on the stretch. ”