On February 3, Beijing time, the Nets lost to the Kings on the road and suffered six consecutive defeats. In this game, the performance of Nets star Harden was disappointing, as the absolute core of the team, he started the game with 37 minutes and 03 seconds, 2 of 11 shots, 5 of 5 three-pointers, only 4 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists, in addition to 6 turnovers, and 4 points in a single game also set a new season scoring low. Harden in this game can be said to have played the worst performance of the season, the presence in the game is very low, the offensive and defensive ends can not contribute much, on the offensive end, he is reluctant to shoot, and the shooting efficiency is not high, in terms of passing, Harden's mistakes are also many. This campaign is not Harden's most realistic level, and he has played a very crotch-pulling performance.
The team faced the Kings, who had lost seven straight, and in most people's opinion, the Nets had a chance to win this game on the road. However, no one expected that Harden's play was so sluggish, in the first quarter of the game, Harden only got 2 rebounds and 3 assists in 3 shots, and in the second quarter Harden only had 2 points and 3 assists in 1 of 2 shots. That is to say, throughout the first half, Harden only scored 2 points.
In the second half, Harden's performance was even more sluggish, and in the third quarter, Harden only shot 1 time without scoring, and there were 4 mistakes at the same time. In the fourth quarter, Harden had 2 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists on 1 of 5 shooting, and the continuous shooting loss on the outside also led to the score being rapidly widened by the Kings. The Nets lost this game, more because of Harden. As the leader of the team, he was not able to play at the level he should have, and the overall performance was not good.
In this game, Harden has no fighting spirit, looks tired on the court, rarely breaks through with the ball, and more often tries three-point shots and passes to teammates on the outside, and the offensive desire is not strong. On the defensive end, Harden has also become a loophole, and many times the Kings can easily complete the score when facing Harden's single defense with cover. In this game, it can be said that harden's performance at both ends of the attack and defense has not met the expectations of the outside world, and the overall performance is disappointing.
For the Nets, the team is facing difficulties at this stage, after Durant's injury, the team originally hoped to stabilize the current ranking under the leadership of Harden and Irving. But harden's state at this stage is very unsatisfactory, and Irving's performance also has ups and downs, plus he can only play away games, after returning to home, the team needs Harden to lead the team. According to Harden's current state, the probability of his single-core team winning is not high.
After suffering six straight losses, the Nets will have to face strong teams such as the Jazz, Nuggets and Heat, which is a great challenge for the Nets. If Harden continues with such a sluggish performance, it will be difficult for the Nets to end the losing streak, and their losing streak may increase significantly. Before Durant can't return, I personally feel that Harden, as the core of the team, needs to quickly adjust to his state, try to find the feeling of playing before, try to do everything he can do on the court, play self-confidence in the game, if Harden can return to the front, then the Nets are expected to end their losing streak in the next game. And if not, the Nets may also see a decline in the rankings, and the playoffs this season are not stable.