Beijing time on January 6, the NBA regular season continued, the Nets away 129-121 victory over the Pacers, ending a three-game losing streak, the Nets trailed almost a full three quarters, the fourth quarter of a single quarter hit the Pacers a wave of 35-20 to complete the reversal, after winning this victory, the Nets record of 24 wins and 12 losses, continue to sit in second place in the East.
Due to Irving's comeback, this game has attracted a lot of attention, and statistically speaking, the performance of the Big Three is not bad:
Durant, who shot 15-of-24, had 39 points, eight rebounds and seven assists
— Harden, 5-of-12 shooting, had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists
— Irving, 9-of-17 shooting, had 22 points, three rebounds and four assists
The first time the big three fit, the trio combined to cut 79 points, 16 rebounds and 17 assists, from a maximum of 19 points behind to complete the reversal, leading the Nets to end the three-game losing streak to stop the decline, as far as the debut is concerned, it can be said to be very perfect.
The strongest of this victory is Durant, as Durant has always done, he scored 16 points in the first quarter, 19 points in the second half, 15 of 24 shots, efficiently scored 39 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, the first in the triathlon, and 39 points is also Durant's second highest score this season.
Speaking of Irving, this is Irving's re-appearance after 206 days, Nash not only directly arranged his starting, but also gave him 32 minutes of playing time, Irving did not disappoint, 9 of 17 in the game, with 22 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, and his plus-minus value was as high as +16, the second highest in the team.
One of the most obvious changes after Irving's return is that the Nets can finally have someone to play a fast attack, and in the crucial fourth quarter, Irving scored 10 points alone, and several fast attacks directly stopped the Pacers.
After the game, the whole team gave Irving a high evaluation of his season debut:
Nash: He doesn't surprise him that he looks like himself
Durant: He's been fantastic, he's been great, I miss Irving, I miss his presence in the locker room, he misses his atmosphere on the team, his performance is so wonderful, it makes the other players a lot easier, basketball is a good game that he can come back
Harden: It's special, it looks like he's been playing all season, he can come back to the court, it feels great, our spirit, our energy is great
I have to say, there's Stephenson.
Returning to the Pacers' third game, Stephenson started with a blast, playing only 6 minutes in the first quarter, shooting 8-of-9, scoring 20 points, and the Pacers also led the Nets 37-32;
In the second quarter, Stephenson cut down his offense and scored just four points, but he delivered four assists and the Pacers ended the first half with a 73-60 lead.
In the end, Stephenson played a total of 32 minutes, shooting 12 of 19 from the field, 4 of 8 from three-point range, and had 30 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists.
What is the concept?
It's been almost three years since Stephenson last got the 20+ or February 1, 2019, but in this game, he scored 20 points in just one session.
His last 30+ was back on March 12, 2016, nearly six years after that.
Interestingly, in the middle of the game, even the Pacers officially put up a picture of Stephenson and wrote: "Please vote for Stephenson and send him to the All-Star." ”
Of course, ridicule, this game is really very important for Stephenson - in the two previous games, Stephenson had combined to shoot 5 of 12, 5 of 3 points, and only scored 11 points.
If this game had been the same as before, Stephenson would probably not have a chance after playing this ten-day contract, but with such an explosive game, even if the Pacers don't sign with him, other teams may be interested in him.
After the game, Stephenson himself said in an interview: "I trained hard for two years to wait for a moment like this. I'm happy to be here, this is home. It's good that we try to play hard, play the ball the right way, and pass the ball right. ”
Before this season, Stephenson last appeared in the NBA in the 2018-19 season, a full two years in between, he did not get a formal contract with any NBA team, and he traveled to the CBA for a while to play.
Facing the first combined Nets Big Three, almost spoiling, Stephenson proved with a 30+ game that he still has the strength to survive in the NBA, hoping that he can bring more wonderful games next.