On December 13, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, the Nets defeated the Pistons 116-104, and in this game, the Nets can win the number one contributor is Durant. He shot 16-of-31 from the field, scoring 51 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, and 51 points in a single game also set a new Nets career high. So why did Durant explode in this game?
After the game, Durant also talked about 2 reasons why he was able to break out. The first reason is that Harden and Millsap are missing this game, in which case Durant knows that he needs to increase the number of shots to cut higher points to make up for the loss caused by the absence of strong teammates.
But the second reason may be more critical, that is, the Pistons' defensive strategy against Durant in this game. "The Pistons don't pinch me as often as other teams, so I'm trying to use my strengths." Durant said this when commenting on the opponent's defense.
Not including Durant, allowing him to play frequent singles, I have to say that the Pistons' tactical strategy is really bold. You know, Durant's strongest ability is 1-on-1 singles, and many teams will even adopt a defensive strategy of wrapping him up in advance from outside the three-point line in order to prevent Durant from being comfortable with singles, to force Durant to pass the ball out.
Admittedly, this defensive style may cause Durant to attract the bag and pass the ball, so that the Nets' role players have the opportunity to shoot in the open position, and Durant also gave 9 assists in this game, which also proved that he has a certain organizational ability. But the problem is that Durant's organizational ability is still a clear gap compared to his scoring ability, and he has as many as 5 turnovers while delivering 9 assists in this game.
Durant is not the top organizer, but the top scorer, and the old saying, "the lesser of two evils", let Durant pass the ball, obviously better than letting him single. The Pistons can also be said to use their own loss to provide a negative teaching material for other teams in the league, and when other teams encounter the Nets in the future, how to defend Durant must be clear.