The Nets played a game away to Philadelphia, and Durant proved once again that he was the best player on the planet. With 12 assists on 15 boards and 10-of-10 free throws, Durant finished his 13th career triple-double. Harden ushered in a milestone in his career, surpassing Korver in three-point shooting and finishing fourth in history behind Ray Allen, Curry and Reggie Miller.
Without Irving, the Nets' journey is not destined to be smooth. From the first minute of the game, the Nets were caught in a passive position. Seth Curry and Danny Green scored three consecutive rains, Embiid's back-up jumper was gorgeous and practical, and Harris's sudden outside shots exploded into a 20-6 surge at the start.
Durant's offense is still steady, with 4 of 6 shots in the first quarter, multiple breakthrough throws, mid-range emergency stops and dry points, but his single strength is only difficult to beat four hands with two fists. Harden's brief power in the second quarter once made the score more sticky, and the two sides tore each other continuously, but with the aging Griffin and the immature Clarkston to resist the impact of Philadelphia's mid-line, it was difficult for the Nets to really narrow the point difference.
At halftime, Durant's data was comprehensive, but the Nets were behind 55-62, and there was no hope of any reversal. In the third quarter, he exploded a triple-double, exhausted and out of breath, and the Nets were still passive. It wasn't until the middle of the final quarter that Aldridge suddenly stepped forward, regaining the style of a star player and leading the Nets to a crazy counterattack.
During that time, Ader cut a dunk, Harden stopped a three-point shot, Ade was steady from mid-range, Harris soared another three points, and the point difference was rapidly reduced. Philadelphia relied on drummond and Harris's inside line to disrupt the situation, so that the Nets suffered from the enemy on their backs and lost inside and outside. With 5:33 left, Sebel took a dunk and Philadelphia led by 10 points at 108-98, and it looked like the big picture was set.
However, the heart problem has not defeated Ade, a 10-point gap, how can it scare Aldridge? With his signature turn-over shot, he unleashed an offensive frenzy. Durant hit a mid-range jumper, Aldridge scored a layup, Mills burst inside, and Aldridge slammed into a 2+1 again. Frozen at 48.2 seconds, the Nets blasted out an 11-0 run to overtake the scoreline.
If you count the final struggle, the Nets bombed 16 points, 9 boards and 4 assists on 5-of-9 shooting in 5 minutes and 33 seconds, while Philadelphia scored 1 point on 9-of-0 shooting, and was blasted out of a 16-1 climax. According to the data model, at 5 minutes and 32 seconds, Philadelphia has a 94.7% probability of winning, but tragedy still occurs. In the whole game, the Nets only won the last 48.2 seconds, but it was only these 48.2 seconds that affected the outcome of the game.
In the final quarter, bench superstar Ade scored 13 points and 4 boards on 5-of-5 shooting, becoming the Nets' reversal hero. In the whole game, he shot 10 of 12 and got 23 points, 5 boards and 2 blocks, still shining. Mills, on 4-of-5 shooting and 3-of-3 from three-point range, is the best shooter. In two games of the new season, Mills' three-pointers of 10-of-10 shooting are really crazy.
However, although the Nets won, they are still in danger. Durant is sweating profusely, Mills can't play every game, and Aldridge can't always play the role of savior. Harden needs to find his rhythm and efficiency, Irving needs to figure out his future as soon as possible, and only the full Nets are truly dominant champions.