It might have only been early in the year, but the Brooklyn Nets made a huge statement on Monday night with their 125-123 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. On a day when the National Basketball Association paid tribute to Martin Luther King during numerous pregame ceremonies, the Nets exemplified why they need to be a force to be reckoned with as the 2020-21 NBA regular season progresses.
In the Nets two-point win, James Harden and Kevin Durant each reached the 30-point plateau. Harden scored 34 points, and had a double double as he also added 12 assists. Durant meanwhile added 30 points, including the game-winning three-point shot from 27 feet with 36.8 seconds left in the contest. The Bucks then had an opportunity to win the game with 1.1 seconds left, but Khris Middleton missed in his 23-foot game winning attempt from long range.
The Nets also won without Kyrie Irving, who missed his seventh straight game due to either personal reasons or due to health and safety protocols. On Friday, the NBA fined Irving $50,000 after video evidence appeared with Irving attending a birthday party without a mask according to TSN.
The fact that the Nets won by a basket without Irving in the lineup is interesting when you take into account the fact that the Nets got strong production from defensive specialist, center DeAndre Jordan, who also had 12 points and 12 rebounds. There is no doubt that Harden is getting comfortable in Brooklyn after being traded from the Houston Rockets in a NBA blockbuster last week.
With the Nets win, Brooklyn improves to 9-6, while Milwaukee dropped to 9-5. Yes, the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Indiana Pacers are right there with Brooklyn and Milwaukee in the NBA Eastern Conference standings, but the Nets and Bucks simply seem the most talented squads at this time.
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