James Harden Says Loss to Nets Was 'Good' for 76ers: 'We Got Our Ass Kicked'

James Harden is choosing to see the Philadelphia 76ers' 129-100 home loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday as a wake-up call of sorts for his team.

Philadelphia lost this game by first-round knockout.

The Nets led 40-23 after the first quarter and never looked back en route to shooting 56 percent from the field and 18-of-40 from three-point range.

Kevin Durant's 25 points led the team, and he also added 14 rebounds and seven assists. Seth Curry (24 points) and Kyrie Irving (22) complemented that effort.

On defense, the Nets had 28 combined steals and blocks, with James Johnson swatting five shots in 22 minutes off the bench. Brooklyn held Philadelphia to 32.3 percent shooting, with Joel Embiid and Harden combining to make just 8-of-34 field goals.

Harden notably went 3-of-17 and missed all 10 of his two-pointers. He spoke about his cold spell postgame.

All five 76ers starters went minus-23 or worse on a night when the Nets led by as many as 36 points. Philadelphia never led.

The 76ers can take some solace in the fact that they are 8-3 in the 11 games since the trade deadline, when Philadelphia acquired James Harden in a blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets. Harden didn't make his debut until after the All-Star break, but he's already formed great chemistry with big man Joel Embiid.

Those three losses have been nothing short of ugly, though, with Philadelphia losing 135-87 to the Boston Celtics and 99-82 to the Miami Heat. Harden didn't play in either game, but he was on the court Thursday as the Nets dominated Philadelphia on both ends.

Despite the loss, Philadelphia is 40-25 and third in the Eastern Conference, sitting three games behind the Miami Heat for first. The 76ers' strength of schedule is about league average the rest of the way, and that should set them up for brighter days ahead.

For now, Harden and the 76ers will look to regroup on Sunday when they visit the 17-50 Orlando Magic.