Take that, Beard!
Nets stun Rockets despite Harden’s 58
HOUSTON — Spencer Dinwiddie didn’t seem to be nearly as wowed by his late-game scoring for the Nets as he was by the fact that his team got an overtime victory on a night James Harden had a seasonhigh 58 points.
“The man had 60 and we won,” Dinwiddie said, shaking his head and only slightly exaggerating Harden’s performance. “That’s big-time for a young group.”
Dinwiddie scored 25 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and overtime and the Nets spoiled Harden’s night with a 145-142 victory over the Rockets on Wednesday.
Harden had his second straight season high after scoring 57 in a victory over Memphis on Monday night, but was only 5 of 19 from 3-point range. The Rockets shot an NBA-record 70 3s, making just 23.
Harden has scored at least 30 points in 18 straight games and has reached 40 in nine of the last 12. He was 16 of 34 overall from the field, made 21 of 23 free throws and had 10 rebounds and six assists.
He was disappointed that his team squandered an eight-point lead with a minute left in the fourth and a seven-point advantage in overtime.
“Frustrating,” Harden said. “Very frustrating.”
Dinwiddie forced overtime, making three 3-pointers in the last 30 seconds of regulation. In the extra period, he hit the go-ahead basket with 28 seconds left.
“Just fantastic, he was unbelievable,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The threes were great, but I also love how he was driving the ball to the rim, too.”
Dinwiddie said he didn’t really have time to celebrate his hot shooting as the shots were falling and kept a very businesslike mindset.
“It was like: ‘Down nine. Down six. Down three. Oh, tied? Let’s get a stop,’” he said about his 3-point spree. “That’s really all it was.”
After Harden made three free throws to give the Rockets a one-point lead, James Nunnally — who signed a 10-day contract Wednesday — hit a 3-pointer to make it 142-135 with 1:28 left.
Treveon Graham hit a three for the Nets and Jarrett Allen made a basket but missed a free throw to cut the lead to 142-140. But the Nets grabbed a rebound and Dinwiddie, who had seven points in OT, made a three-point play to put the Nets up, 143-142. Austin Rivers missed a three for Houston, and Joe Harris hit two free throws to make it 145-142 with 1.6 seconds left.
Houston had a chance to tie it at the buzzer, but Gerald Green’s shot clanged off the rim.