The Brooklyn Nets picked up a hard-fought victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center, winning 112-110. New York was able to somewhat contain Kevin Durant, who scored 27 points but shot only 9-of-23 from the field and missed all five of his 3-point attempts. He did a lot of his damage at the foul line, where he was a perfect 9-for-9.
Luckily for the Brooklyn Nets, the Knicks were unable to slow down James Harden. Harden had one of his best games of the 2021-22 season against New York in a game that Brooklyn needed everything he provided.
Harden got going early and rode that momentum throughout the game. He scored a game-high 34 points, going 11-of-20 from the field, 3-of-8 from 3-point range, and 9-for-10 at the charity stripe. He added 10 rebounds and nine assists for a strong, all-around performance.
Coming into the game, Harden has been struggling a little bit with his shot. He has had to make a lot of adjustments this season, as he took over the point guard duties with Kyrie Irving away from the team and the league’s rule changes had an impact on his performance.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Are Brooklyn Nets Burdening Kevin Durant With Too Heavy Of Load?
So, what got him going for the game against the Knicks? Ad nauseam, TNT broadcaster and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller mentioned that he had talked with Harden before the game.
The pregame talk was brought up constantly throughout the broadcast, as Miller and Kevin Harlan made mention of Harden’s struggles balancing out when he should be a scorer and when he should facilitate.
In his post-game presser, Harden revealed that the chat with Miller is in fact what motivated him to perform well on Tuesday night.
“Yeah, it was definitely that,” Harden said. “Reggie is the one that got me going. He’s got me going for sure. But yeah, it was just ultimate confidence, the best-player-in-the-league type of mindset. That was motivation before the game, something I needed.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Are Brooklyn Nets Burdening Kevin Durant With Too Heavy Of Load?
As if Knicks fans didn’t have enough reason to hate Miller, you can add this to the ever-growing list. Without James Harden’s excellent performance on Tuesday night, there is a good chance that the Knicks would have come away with the victory at the Barclays Center.
