James Harden: Nets 'Catching a Rhythm' After Scoring Record 147 Points vs. OKC
After the Brooklyn Nets tied a single-game franchise points record in a 147-125 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, guard James Harden expressed optimism.
"We're catching a rhythm, obviously, offensively," he said, according to ESPN's Royce Young. "But defensively as well. We're learning our strengths and our weakness and things we can get better at."
Perhaps the most encouraging part of the Nets' performance Friday was that they did it without leading scorer Kevin Durant, who was sitting out to rest his Achilles.
Additionally, neither Harden nor Kyrie Irving had to carry the scoring burden on their own, as they co-led the team with 25 points.
Every starter scored in double figures for the Nets with Joe Harris posting 20, Bruce Brown scoring 19 and DeAndre Jordan adding 10.
Brooklyn also received double-digit scoring efforts from four players off the bench in Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Landry Shamet, Jeff Green and Reggie Perry.
The Nets have won four in a row and are 13-8 on the season. Since acquiring Harden from the Houston Rockets on Jan. 13 in a blockbuster deal, the Nets own a 6-2 mark.
The Nets are second in the Eastern Conference and trail the first-place Philadelphia 76ers by just 1.5 games.
Friday's performance likely served as a warning shot to every contending team in the East since it showed that the Nets are still capable of dominating offensively even if they are without part of their Big Three.
It also showed that while Harden and Irving are dangerous scorers, they are more than willing to defer in order to involve their teammates. Harden finished with 11 assists, and Irving dished out seven dimes.
If they continue to do that with Durant in the lineup and averaging 30 points per game, it is difficult to envision many teams will stand a chance in a seven-game playoff series.
