Harden dazzles in his debut with Nets
James Harden delivered 32 points and a triple-double in his Brooklyn debut, Kevin Durant scored a season-high 42 points in his first game back with his former teammate, and the host Nets showed off their potent potential in a 122-115 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
Harden had 14 assists and 12 rebounds after being cleared to play earlier in the afternoon after all the players in the blockbuster trade that brought him from Houston had completed their physicals. Harden also had nine turnovers.
He had no practice time with the Nets and sure didn’t need it, becoming the first player in franchise history to have a triple-double in his debut.
Durant made five 3-pointers in his 10th game back following an 18-month layoff after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals. He hiked his average to 30.7 points, which would be his highest since he scored a league-leading 32 per game and won NBA MVP honors for Oklahoma City in 2014.
That was a couple years after he and Harden helped lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals and their new pairing could have similar possibilities. The Nets might still be even better when they get back Kyrie Irving, who missed his sixth straight game after leaving the team last week for personal reasons.
Nikola Vucevic had 34 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the shorthanded Magic, who lost their fifth straight.
Harden didn’t score until making a pair of free throws with 6.8 seconds left in the first quarter and didn’t make his first basket until a layup with 10:07 remaining in the half. But his playmaking was on track from the start.
He got his shot going during an 11-point third quarter, capping it with a deep 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give Brooklyn an 84-83 lead.
SPURS 103, ROCKETS 91 >> Demar Derozan scored 24 points, Dejounte Murray had 18 points and 10 rebounds and San Antonio rallied to beat undermanned Houston.
Rockets center Christian Wood had 24 points and 17 rebounds, and Mason Jones had a season-high 24 points. Ben Mclemore had a season-high 21 points on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.
Houston was on the brink of not having eight players available as required by the league, but met the minimum in the final hour. The Rockets had seven healthy players after Sterling Brown was ruled out due to a lower leg injury, but Rodions Kurucs became eligible prior to game time when the NBA approved the blockbuster trade involving Harden.
RAPTORS 116, HORNETS 113 >>
Chris Boucher, Kyle Lowry and Fred Van Fleet converted eight straight free throws in the final two minutes, helping Toronto get its first two-game win streak of the season.
Norman Powell led the Raptors with 24 points, and Boucher added 20 points and nine rebounds.
Gordon Heyward scored 25 points and Terry Rozier added 24 for Charlotte, loser of three straight.
PISTONS 120, HEAT 100 >>
Jerami Grant scored 24 points, Derrick Rose had 23 off the bench and Detroit — the team with the NBA’S worst record — came into Miami and sent the reigning Eastern Conference champion to a third consecutive loss.
The Pistons outscored the Heat 38-19 in the third.