On April 7, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Nets reversed the Knicks 110-98 after falling behind by 21 points at one point. In this game, Durant cut a big triple-double stat with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, which is naturally the number one contributor to the Nets' victory, but he alone obviously cannot win the game. The Nets also had several players come forward in the game, including veteran Mills.
Mills played 24 minutes and scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting (all three-pointers on the field, making it the Nets' top scoring point on the bench. And when he was on the floor, the Nets were able to beat their opponents by 21 points, the highest on the team, which surpassed Durant and Irving.
Especially in the crucial fourth quarter, Mills became the most reliable projection point around Durant, hitting all four shots outside the three-point line, scoring 12 points in a single quarter, and sharing the pressure on the offensive end for Durant and Irving with accurate three-pointers.
Mills' outstanding performance also allowed him to receive praise from head coach Nash after the game. "It's fantastic to see Mills able to put the ball into the basket, you don't want to see him struggle like he's been lately, it feels good to see him hit a shot and put a nail on the head because it's what he deserves, he's really hard and he's a fighter on our team." Nash said.
After joining the Nets this season, Mills averaged 11.4 points per game and shot 39.6 percent from three-point range. After the All-Star Game, however, Mills' athletic status plummeted, averaging 8.6 points per game and 33 percent shooting from three-point range in February; averaging just 7.1 points per game in March, compared to 2 of 15 in the first two games in April, averaging just three points per game. This has also led some Nets fans to question Mills, believing that he is driving high and low, but Nash has always maintained a high level of trust in Mills.
In this New York derby, Mills also repaid Nash's trust with an outstanding performance at a critical moment in the final quarter. The regular season is nearing the end, and the 33-year-old veteran can find his touch in time, which is also good news for the Nets.