On Jan. 16, the Nets beat the Pelicans 120-105, Harden recovered with 27 points, eight rebounds and 15 assists, and Durant left the game injured after only 12 minutes. Nets rookies Edwards, Sharp and Cameron Thomas all broke out in this battle. The Nets ushered in three joys and one worry.
The nets' first big thing is that all three rookies have performed well, becoming the Nets' recent very strong rotation players. Cameron Thomas has 20 points and six rebounds in this game, and he seems to be a very reliable sixth man on the team, thomas has scored 20+ in 3 times in the last 4 games.
The 20-year-old rookie has a strong personal scoring ability, the breakthrough is very sharp, and his play during this time has reduced Harden's offensive pressure.
Sharp has become a big surprise for the Nets in the near future, the Nets have to put rookie Sharp in the starting position in the absence of Aldridge and Clarkston, and Sharp lived up to expectations, and his recent performance has been remarkable, scoring in double figures three times in the past 4 games. He played a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Edwards also rose to prominence, where he went into the starting lineup with 16 points and six rebounds and 4-of-5 three-pointers. The rise of the three rookies eased pressure on the Nets.
The second positive is that Harden's state has recovered. Beard's offense wasn't efficient some time ago, but in this game he shot 9-of-15, 2-of-5 from three-point range and 7-of-8 from the free throw line, scoring 27 points and delivering 15 assists. This is Harden's best playing mode at the moment, scoring and organizing the offense, all done very beautifully.
The third positive was mills staying in good shape, with 21 points and three assists in this game. Mills is an important firepower point for the Nets, especially in the absence of Joe Harris, who need Mills to provide fire support to the giants. Now Mills is in good shape.
The Nets' downside was Durant's knee injury in the game, when he was hit in the leg by Bruce Brown, resulting in a knee injury. Durant needs to undergo an MRI test and is expected to miss some games in the near future. The Nets have had a lot of disasters this season, the team has struggled to form a good chemistry recently, and the situation of competing for the first place in the East has become a bit difficult.