Getty Brooklyn's James Harden grabs a rebound as teammate Kevin Durant stands by in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at Barclays Center on January 23, 2021 in New York City.
For the 14th time in their last 15 games, the Brooklyn Nets were winners on Wednesday night.
No Kyrie Irving, no Kevin Durant, (mostly) no problem for the James Harden-led Nets, who overcame an early deficit and fought off the Pacers for a 124-115 victory in Indiana.
At the end of the game, with the game’s result already beyond doubt, Harden gave the Nets one more reason to celebrate.
ALL the latest Nets news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Nets newsletter here!
Harden Seals Triple-Double
Harden’s performance against the Pacers already was epic heading into the game’s final moments. He needed just one more rebound to put a bow on it.
With about two seconds left, that’s exactly what he did.
Indiana’s final possession ended with a 29-foot 3-point try by Caris LeVert. The attempt clanked off the front of the rim, and Harden was positioned perfectly to leap for it.
A seemingly meaningless rebound had a ton of significance here: It was Harden’s 10th of the game, giving him a ridiculous 11 triple-doubles in his first 26 games as a Net. Only Jason Kidd (61 triple-doubles over 506 games in a New Jersey uniform) has more in franchise history.
Harden’s triple-double Wednesday was especially impressive because it included 40 points and 15 assists. It was just the second 40-point triple-double in franchise history, per Nets PR; Vince Carter totaled 46 points, 16 boards and 10 assists in April 2007 in an overtime game against the Washington Wizards.
Follow the Heavy on Nets Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content out of Brooklyn!
Nets Bench Goes Wild
The significance of that last rebound wasn’t lost on the Nets bench. They knew exactly what was at stake.
So when Harden leapt high for the rebound, Durant, who missed his 13th straight game with a lingering hamstring strain, pumped his fist. A couple other Nets players raised their arms in celebration.
Harden made sure to grab this rebound for his 40-point triple-double 😂
Nets bench loved it
Harden played 42 minutes and had the game’s highest plus-minus ratio with a plus-25.
“I’ll never take it for granted,” Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said of Harden’s play, per Alex Schiffer of The Athletic.
Nash on Harden’s play: “I’ll never take it for granted.”
Nets center Nic Claxton couldn’t believe Harden had dropped 40.
Clax’s reaction to Harden dropping 40 points 🤣
(via @YESNetwork)
Harden is now averaging 25.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and a league-leading 11.3 assists this season as he continues to make his case for MVP.
On Wednesday, he did it without his two co-stars, something he’s used to at this point; Brooklyn’s Big Thre has played only seven games together.
“It’s been like that for us all year, guys in and out of the lineup,” Harden said after Wednesday’s game, via SNY. “I just kept preaching to the guys before the game: It’s the next man up. Whoever has the opportunity to touch that floor, be ready to go. Know your assignments, know what you’re supposed to be doing, and stay locked-in detail-wise.
“We don’t make excuses. … That’s the kind of mindset we’ve been in on. Nothing fazes us at this point.”
James Harden talks about the Nets’ resilience with different players in and out of the lineup:
“Nothing fazes us at this point”
READ NEXT: Kevin Durant Comes Clean About 2010 Interaction With LeBron James