On January 11, Beijing time, the 2021-22 NBA regular season is in full swing. In a focus battle that just ended, the Nets lost to the Blazers 108:114 on the road, eating their fourth defeat in the last six games, and the record became 25-14, continuing to rank second in the East.
The reason why the Nets lost today has something to do with Harden's absence. At the same time, it is related to Durant's play is slightly flat. Throughout the game, Durant played 41 minutes, shooting 9-of-19, including 2-of-7 three-pointers and 8-of-8 free throws, totaling 28 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, and his plus-minus of -15, the lowest of all players in the game.
In the first half, Durant's performance was relatively stable, with 7 points and 2 rebounds on 2-of-3 shooting in a single quarter. After entering the second quarter of the game, Durant was even more full of firepower, scoring 13 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists on 3-of-6 shooting in the single quarter, and he repeatedly broke through the inside line to cause damage, 6 of 6 of 6 in a single quarter.
After entering the second half, Durant's performance tended to be flat. In the Blazers' 3rd quarter of the game, Durant scored 4 points on just 2-of-4 shooting in the quarter and did not respond. In the final quarter, Durant only had 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists on 2 of 6, failing to help the team recover the disadvantage.
It is worth mentioning that in today's game, Durant broke through the 1,000 total score mark this season, ranking first in the league. But it's clear that in the recent past, Durant has been unable to score points to help the team win. The Nets' recent record has declined significantly, and as the team's star, Durant must find a way to solve it.
According to the schedule, the Nets will take on the Bulls on the road on Jan. 13, and they have lost to the Bulls twice this season, and they need a win to revive morale.