James Harden: Nets 'Have to Figure It Out' Defensively to Contend for Title
The Brooklyn Nets rebounded from a 149-146 loss to the four-win Washington Wizards with a 124-120 victory over the 16-win Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
After the Nets' win, Brooklyn guard James Harden stressed the team's need to improve on the defensive end if it is to have any shot at the NBA crown.
"Once we get that down pat defensively, you’re talking about blowing teams," Harden said, per Mark Medina of USA Today.
"Offensively, we’ll figure it out and continue to figure it out. Defensively, we have to figure it out. That’s where it has to be in order for us to be playing at the end."
The Nets entered Tuesday allowing the third-most points per game and sitting No. 25 in defensive rating, per Basketball-Reference. However, their offense has been spectacular despite the power trio of Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving playing just six games together, averaging a league-high 122.3 points per game.
That scoring effort has propelled the Nets to a 14-9 record, which is currently good enough for second place in an Eastern Conference where only three teams are better than two games over .500.
Still, the Nets' defense is porous enough that it can lose to the NBA's worst team (by record) in the Wizards, so it stands that the team's effort on that end must improve if it faces tougher competition come playoff time against franchises like the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Tuesday was an encouraging effort, even if the Nets allowed 120 points. The Clippers entered Tuesday with the NBA's second-best offensive rating, and they've scored north of 100 points in all but two games.
But the Nets did enough on that end down the stretch, particularly during a 21-6 fourth-quarter run that turned a 102-97 deficit into a 118-108 lead.
At any rate, the Nets have 49 regular-season games remaining, so they have plenty of time to shore things up defensively. Their next game is Friday at home versus the Toronto Raptors, who were led by Fred VanVleet's franchise-high 54 points (including 11 three-pointers) in a 123-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
