Ahead of the Nets' game against the Pistons, Harden, one of the Nets' giants, announced that he would take a break in the game, so the burden of leading the team to victory fell on Durant. Although the opposing Pistons are the bottom of the East this season and have suffered an 11-game losing streak before this game, the Nets, without Harden, still can't take it lightly. Sure enough, the Pistons showed a tenacious attitude in this game, and the two sides have been difficult to solve in the first three quarters of the game. In the final quarter, as Durant scored consecutive points, the Nets continued to widen the point difference, and finally won 116:104. In this game, "Death" Durant exploded, cutting a new Nets career high of 51 points.
In Harden's absence, the Nets' biggest credit for winning this game is undoubtedly Durant. He played a full 41 minutes, shooting 16-of-31, including 5-of-10 three-pointers, scoring 51 points with great efficiency, in addition to 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Durant was full of firepower and aggression in the first half of the game, making nine free throws at the end of the half and scoring 22 points. In the crucial third quarter of the game, the Pistons were always clinging to the score, and Durant once again stepped forward to save the team, especially at the end of the quarter and the opponent's three-point match to help the team stabilize the lead. Throughout the third quarter, Durant scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting. In the final quarter, Durant was still in hot form, constantly taking points at key moments, and helping the team win the victory while scoring 51 points in a single game.
After this game, Durant set multiple records with 51 points in a single game. First, it was the eighth time in Durant's career that he scored 50+ points in a single game, tying the star Bernard King to 12th place in history. Second, according to statistics, since joining the NBA in 1976, the Nets have never had a performance like Durant who has cut at least 51 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists in a single game. Again, 51 points per game is a new single-game scoring record for Durant since joining the Nets, and it is worth mentioning that 15 free throws are also Durant's personal single-game highs this season. In the end, with a third of the season already in progress, only Curry and Durant of this game have scored 50+ in the league.
There is no doubt that Harden's absence put a lot of pressure on Durant, who had to turn on a crazier offensive mode to help the team achieve this victory, and in the end he managed to do that. In addition, Harden's absence also gives Durant more shots. In an interview after the game, Durant also said that his 51 points had a lot to do with Harden's absence, saying: "In this game, we didn't have Harden and Millsap, so I felt like I had to push harder. The opponent was blocking and dismantling, and we took advantage of that very well, and we played very well in that regard. When asked if he realized he was close to scoring 50 points in the game, Durant said: "Of course, I know, if there is a chance to take it, of course it is best. From this point of view, Durant is also very happy that he scored 51 points in this game.
With Irving unable to play this season because of his reluctance to get the new crown vaccine, and Harden's ups and downs this season, Durant, as the team boss, must take the initiative to take on more responsibility. So far this season, Durant has once again played an extremely good season. According to statistics, Durant has played in 25 games, averaging 29.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in an average of 36.5 minutes per game, shooting 52.9% from the field and 38.3% from three-point range. Among them, Durant's average playing time and scoring per game have set a new high in recent seasons, and he is now temporarily the league's leading scorer. Under his leadership, the Nets have now ranked first in the East with a record of 19 wins and 8 losses in the case of an unsatisfactory start.
After Durant has played such a good performance this season, many fans and media have listed Durant as a popular candidate for the regular season MVP this season. In the current NBA official MVP rankings, Durant has repeatedly ranked in the top three positions. From the current trend, combined with personal performance and team record, Durant's former teammate Curry is his biggest contender for the regular season MVP. In terms of personal performances, Curry has not lost to Durant in his performance so far this season. So far, Curry can average 27.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, of which the average points per game are temporarily in the third place in the league, and this season only he and Durant have scored 50+ points in a single game.
In terms of leading the team,Curry is even better. Before Thompson's comeback, Curry had achieved the top two in the league for a long time with the Warriors' not-so-favored lineup, and the Nets' record was still a certain gap from the Warriors. In addition, in the first game between the two teams so far, the Nets at home have also lost to the Warriors. Durant played one of the worst performances of the season in the game, scoring just 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Curry, by contrast, cut down a comprehensive stat of 37 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and led the team to victory. I believe that in the regular season MVP competition between the two at the end of the season, this game will be used as an important factor for the media to refer to.
Of course, for Durant himself, whether he can win the regular season MVP this season is not the most important thing, he still hopes to lead the Nets to the championship, after all, last season, the Nets failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals due to injury reasons under the high expectations of the outside world. And this season, with Irving basically certain that he will miss an entire season, the Nets still face serious challenges. But fortunately, Durant has played very well this season, and he has also shown a strong desire for the championship, as evidenced by the 51 points scored in this game. However, the Nets' coaching staff and other players must pay attention to the fact that durant must have enough rest time, after all, he is 33 years old and is a player who has returned from a serious injury, and Durant's health will be the biggest guarantee for the Nets to impact the championship this season.