Watch James Harden Hit Clutch Three-Pointer to Complete Nets’ Best Ever Comeback
James Harden #JamesHarden
James Harden single-handedly kept the Brooklyn Nets’ winning streak alive on Tuesday night, hitting a game-winning three pointer as the Nets erased a 24-point deficit against the Phoenix despite missing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
With the All-Star duo out of action, Harden shouldered the lion’s share of the offense and led Brooklyn to the biggest comeback of the NBA season so far and the biggest halftime comeback in franchise history.
The eight-time All-Star finished with 38 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, shooting 14-of-22 from the field and 5-of-11 from three points.
The fifth of those three-pointers came with 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter and put the Nets ahead 126-124, giving them their first lead of the game. Harden subsequently hit two free throws to ice the game for the Nets, who extended their winning run to four games and moved into second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
“It’s the true definition of a team,” Harden said after the game. “One or two guys go down, next man up.”
“Tonight was the perfect example of that. We got down 20-something at halftime and we didn’t give up, we didn’t quit. We kept fighting and cut the deficit down and kept fighting and gave ourselves a chance to win at the end of the game and things went our way.”
Harden’s performance was a timely reminder that while he is happy to share scoring duties in Brooklyn, he’s perfectly capable of loading the offense on his back and deliver fourth-quarter heroics when needed.
Harden was an All-Star selection in each of his eight seasons with the Houston Rockets and led the league in scoring for the last three seasons. However, as individual accolades did not translate into an NBA title, his penchant for dominating the ball was increasingly cited as having a stifling influence on Houston’s offense.
When the Nets acquired him in a blockbuster trade last month, Harden pledged to share scoring duties with Durant and Irving and has so far lived up to his word. He averages 24.3 points per game this season since moving to Brooklyn, the lowest average since he scored 16.8 points per game in his third season in the league with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Harden’s heroics on Tuesday helped Brooklyn erase the biggest halftime deficit in the franchise’s NBA history, dating back to the 1976-77 season
The Nets had trailed by 21 at halftime after the Suns poured in 42 points in the second quarter and slipped into a 24-point hole early in the third quarter, before trimming the deficit by nine going into the fourth quarter. They maintained the momentum in the final period, outscoring the Suns 40-24 and preventing Phoenix from scoring over the final 2:48 of play.
“[The] Guys are rightfully excited, it’s great for morale,” Nets head coach Steve Nash told The Associated Press after the game.
“Missing Kevin and Kyrie and finding a way to make up a 24-point deficit. They showed a lot of heart.”
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