The NBA regular season continued, and the Nets' game against the Pelicans officially began. After the game started, the Nets played very efficiently on the offensive end, and the offensive pace was not only fast but also very stable. In the first quarter, the Nets led by 10 points. In the second quarter, the Nets extended their lead to 28 points. Even into the second half, the Pelicans still firmly grasped the initiative on the court, and finally after four quarters of battle, the Nets won 120-105 against the Pelicans.
Objectively speaking, the Pelicans lost this game but their resilience is still good. Throughout the game, the Pelicans scored in double figures with seven players. They are: Ingram 22 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists, Hart 14 points and 11 rebounds, Varan 13 points and 5 rebounds, Jones 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Graham 10 points and 4 assists, Hayes 11 points, 3 rebounds, Walker 10 points and 4 rebounds. Unfortunately, although the Pelicans had 7 players scoring in double figures, their offensive efficiency was indeed a bit low. The Pelicans shot just 29 percent from three-point range and 66 percent from the free throw line. Obviously, it's almost impossible for pelicans to win in the face of such data.
Okay, after talking about the losing Pelicans, let's talk about the Nets that won. There is no doubt that the player who should be most grateful to the Nets for winning the game in the case of Durant's injury is undoubtedly Harden. Harden played 40 minutes in this game, shooting 9-of-15, including 2-of-5 from three-point range and 7-of-8 from the free throw line, and got 27 points, 8 rebounds, 15 assists, 1 steal, 1 block of quasi-triple-double data, plus-minus +21. Among them, the three statistics of scoring, assists, plus and minus are the highest in the team. For Harden's performance in this game, we can fully describe it as "one person carrying the team".
Fans who have watched the game will know how well Harden played this game. After Durant left the court injured, Harden instantly completed the role transformation and became the leader on the court. Offensively, Harden no longer hesitates as long as there is an opportunity Harden will decisively shoot, whether it is a three-point shot, or a breakthrough layup, Harden played very firmly, and the stability is very high. Especially once the Nets offense is in a stagnant stage, then it must be Harden who stands up and scores. To put it bluntly, Harden's performance on the offensive end of this game gives us a glimpse of Harden in the Rockets era.
In addition to the decisiveness on the offensive end, Harden is also very selfless in combing the offensive end. Fans who have watched the game will know that because Harden's offense is not solvable, the Pelicans have adopted the method of wrapping Harden. However, this defensive strategy is useless for Harden, as long as harden can find empty teammates, as long as the inside players come forward to block Harden can quickly hang the ball to the basket. In particular, the score after Harden's breakthrough created a lot of opportunities for Mills to shoot in the empty position. All in all, this game Harden let us see how strong he is, let us see how strong the league's top ten superstars are.
Since I have mentioned the word superstar, I will give you two more words here. Before that, many fans said that Harden was a pseudo-superstar, said that Harden's ability to lead the team was very poor, and even some fans questioned Harden's comprehensive strength. However, this game Harden proved his worth with practical actions, punching the doubters in the face. Again, in the Nets Harden does not need to play like the Rockets, in the Nets Harden only need to do a good job of the role of the second boss. So, for Harden we have to evaluate it fairly.