NETS OUTLAST SPURS IN OT
HARDEN & CO. EARN 1ST WIN IN SAN ANTONIO SINCE 2002
San Antonio really has been like the Alamo for the Nets. Until Monday.
Until James Harden and Kyrie Irving snapped one of the longest active droughts in sports.
They led Brooklyn to a 124-113 overtime victory, the Nets’ first regular-season win in San Antonio since 2002.
This being the Spurs, they didn’t give the game away cheaply; they made the Nets (23-13) earn it. Brooklyn built a double-digit lead with two minutes left in regulation, blew it by allowing the final 10 points of the fourth quarter, and finally salvaged it in the extra stanza.
Harden had 30 points, 15 assists, 14 rebounds and zero turnovers, while Irving added 27 points, seven assists and six boards.
“It was a great response. You miss a couple bunnies andtheymakeashotatthe buzzer, you can fold. You can think it’s not our night; you could drop your head, come out and lack confidence,” Steve Nash said. “But we came out with confidence, made big shots, defended, rebounded, and took care of business in overtime.”
After blowing a 108-98 cushion with 1:59 left in regulation, the Nets bounced back to score the first eight points of overtime, outscoring San Antonio 16-5.
“We felt like we gave up that lead too easily and down the stretch had a few miscues, a few miscommunications,” said Irving, who had six in OT. “So we’ve got to take this one on the chin. … I don’t want to call it laziness, but just our focus level wasn’t matching the intensity in terms of when San Antonio was trying to get back in the game.
“We felt like we had the game won in regulation; I think we all can agree with that. But sometimes, nights like this it takes overtime. And I think it’s been, what, 19, 20 years since we got a win here? So another historical record out the window.”
It’d been since Jan. 22, 2002, to be exact, 17 straight regular-season losses. The Nets had won a game in the 2003 NBA Finals, before Monday night.
After going scoreless in the first quarter, Harden had 15 in the fourth, He added five points and three assists in OT, as the Nets took over when they had to.
“He’s a brilliant basketball player. He makes others better,” Nash said of Harden.
“Yeah, I wanted to be a little more aggressive in that fourth quarter. You know, get shots for myself and my team and just take the best shot available,” Harden said. “Way to fight back and just continue to stick with it and come away with a win.
“Our communication, especially when it’s winning time is very, very important, and we’ve been doing an unbelievable job of that. Getting stops when we needed to. We hear all the talk about us not being a very good defensive team. We’re picking that up and we’re finding ways to get better.”
Brooklyn won its teamrecord sixth straight on the road and stayed a half-game behind Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference.
After DeAndre Jordan’s free throws gave them a 108-98 lead with 2:12 in regulation, the Nets let the Spurs close on a 10-0 run. But they steadied the ship and retook command in overtime.
Irving opened with a 3-pointer, followed by a Harden floater and a 3-pointer from Bruce Brown (23 points). That gave the Nets a 116-108 edge with 3:26 left in overtime. And this time, they protected that lead, and closed out the game.
Nic Claxton finished with a career-high 17 points in 17 minutes for a breakout performance, while Harden was nothing short of stellar, the first player with 30 points, 15 assists, 10 boards and no turnovers since 1977-78.
“We have to implement the phrase, ‘Get used to it,’ ” Irving said. “When someone’s that special, they’re able to play at a very high level, and he’s been displaying that.”