Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving combine for 54 points, lead Nets to Game 1 win over Bucks after James Harden leaves injured
Kyrie Irving #11 of the Nets attempts a jump shot against Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks in Game One of the Second Round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center. Credit: Steven Ryan
It turns out the Nets can win for losing. They lost James Harden to a right hamstring re-injury 43 seconds into Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Bucks, but it didn’t matter. Their remaining "Big 2" of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combined for 54 points on 23-for-51 shooting to lead the Nets to a resounding 115-107 victory Saturday night at Barclays Center.
Game 2 is Monday night, and there was no update on Harden’s condition but it is highly unlikely he will return. Nets coach Steve Nash said all the adversity his team encountered prepared them in a strange way for the sudden misfortune they experienced.
"You know we got a lot thrown at us this year, so we were, in a sense, well-trained for this event," Nash said. "But you never want to see that for someone like James, who is such an important player and such an incredible player and cares so much. I’m heartbroken for him.
"I don’t know what’s going to happen, I don’t know if he’s playing next game, if he’s out. I have no idea, but I’m heartbroken for him that he had to miss tonight. I mean, this guy was so ready and excited to play tonight. So you never want to see that when someone gives everything they have towards this."
The Nets built a 16-point lead late in the third quarter only to see the Bucks climb back within 10 points midway through the final period. But the Nets responded with a 12-3 burst, including back-to-back three-pointers from Joe Harris, to build a 115-96 lead with 3:40 left and they coasted to the win.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averaged 39.7 points in their 2-1 regular-season series win over the Nets, was in perfect form, scoring 34 on 16-for-24 shooting. But overall, the Nets had a great defensive game, holding All-Stars Khris Middleton (13) and Jrue Holiday (17) to a combined 30 points on 13-for-42 shooting. Former Net Brook Lopez added 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting, but the Nets forced the Bucks into a terrible 6-for-30 performance from three-point range.
Durant led the Nets with 29 points and added 10 rebounds, and Irving totaled 25 points and added eight assists. The Nets got a great lift from starters Harris, who had 19 points, including a 5-for-9 effort from three-point range, and Blake Griffin, who had 18 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Mike James, who only got garbage time minutes in the first-round win over the Celtics, effectively replaced Harden and totaled 12 points and seven rebounds.
Unfortunately for the Nets, Harden’s leadership vanished less than a minute into the game when he re-injured his right hamstring on a drive to the basket. Earlier this season, Harden missed 18 games before returning to play two games and then sitting out the regular-season finale as a precaution.
"Someone goes down, and the next man is up," Nash said. "Mike, who would have thought before the game he was going to play 30 minutes? Scored the ball, rebounded, made a few plays and hustled and it’s just great to see guys who haven’t been in the rotation get an opportunity to step up and play well."
Harden is part of the Nets’ Big 3 along with Durant and Irving. They only played eight games together during the regular season. But in the Nets’ 4-1 first-round win over the Celtics and they averaged a combined 85.2 points per game, which was an NBA playoff record for a trio.
Without Harden, the Nets trailed by as much as nine points in the first period, but in the second quarter, the Nets fashioned a 20-6 run that included seven points from Irving to take a 59-48 lead.
Midway through the third quarter, the Nets began a 24-11 run to build their lead back to a game-high of 16 points at 98-82. Durant had nine points in that span, including the final seven straight.
Durant reflected the heartbreak his teammates suffered when Harden went down. "It just sucks," Durant said. "It sucks because I want him to be out there. I know how much he cares. I know how much he wants to be in this moment. It sucks. Wishing him a speedy recovery. Keep him as much involved as possible. It’s just a bad break."
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
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