Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash hailed James Harden following his "remarkable performance" against the Indiana Pacers, the NBA superstar recording a monster triple-double.
Harden led the way with 40 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds as the red-hot Nets defeated the Pacers 124-115 in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Former MVP Harden, who was 13 of 27 from the field en route this 11th triple-double of the season, put up 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in the final quarter to guide the Nets to their 14th win in 15 games.
Harden joined Vince Carter as the only players in Nets history with a 40-point triple-double.
"It's a remarkable performance," Nash said post-game midweek.
"He made some huge plays down the stretch. ... All the other guys played their part, but James was the main guy, as we've come to expect."
The Nets were outscored 40-25 in the opening quarter but fought back to take down their Eastern Conference rivals on the road.
Brooklyn – who played without Kyrie Irving (groin) and Kevin Durant (hamstring) – now share a 28-13 record with the Philadelphia 76ers atop the east.
"Our effort was great as a team, especially after that 15, 20 deficit," said Harden, who became the first Nets player in franchise history to have a 15-plus point, 15-plus assist and 15-plus assist game in Monday's victory against the New York Knicks.
"When we started to come back in the second quarter, and even in the second half we were great defensively.
"You know, just being more physical, communicating more, seeing what they were trying to do and taking it away and that is all it was."
Harden added: "Obviously we don't want to get used to having KD and Kyrie out of the line-up but if we do then guys have to be ready to step up. I think Tyler [Johnson] did a really good job throughout the course of the game.
"Once again we preach every night is going to be somebody different. And so be ready and be prepared for the opportunity. Take advantage of it."
Giannis Antetokounmpo starred as the Milwaukee Bucks overturned a 19-point deficit to eventually trump Eastern Conference leaders the Philadelphia 76ers 109-105 in overtime.
Milwaukee faced an uphill task in the second half, but the Bucks went ahead 91-84 thanks to Jrue Holiday's three-pointer with 52.3 seconds remaining in regulation on Wednesday.
The 76ers, however, went on a 9-2 run during the final 40 seconds – Furkan Korkmaz's three forcing OT 0.4 seconds from the end in the fourth period.
But Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were not to be denied a big NBA win in Philadelphia, where the Milwaukee superstar posted 10 of his 32 points in overtime.
Antetokounmpo also had 15 rebounds and five assists to lead the Bucks – who had been held their lowest-scoring first half of the season – to their fifth successive win.
Ben Simmons' triple-double of 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds – to go with two steals and two blocks – were not enough to prevent the 76ers having their six-game winning streak snapped.
The Bucks are within one and a half games of the 76ers, who now share the same 28-13 record as the star-studded Brooklyn Nets.
James Harden put on a show with a triple-double as the shorthanded Nets defeated the Indiana Pacers 124-115.
Without Kyrie Irving (groin) and Kevin Durant (hamstring), Harden scored 40 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds to lead Brooklyn to their 14th win in 15 games.
Harden, who recorded his 11th triple-double of the season, joined Vince Carter as the only players in Nets history with a 40-point triple-double.
Jokic leads the way, Doncic stars
MVP candidate Nikola Jokic was at it again. The Denver Nuggets star finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 129-104 win over the Charlotte Hornets. It was his 10th triple-double of the season and 51st overall. Jokic also had his 228th double-double to surpass Dikembe Mutombo for the franchise record.
Russell Westbrook's triple-double (26 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists) was his 12th of the season. The Washington Wizards, however, lost 121-119 to the Sacramento Kings.
A 43-point performance from Norman Powell was not enough as the Toronto Raptors lost 116-112 to the Detroit Pistons, who snapped a four-game skid.
Draymond Green recorded his 27th career triple-double and third his season thanks to a season-high 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He also passed Chris Mullin (3,416) for fifth place on the Golden State Warriors' all-time assists list. The Warriors beat the lowly Houston Rockets 108-94.
Franchise-record losing streak in Houston
Things cannot get much worse for the embattled Rockets, who crashed to a franchise-record 18th consecutive defeat. The run surpasses the 17 straight losses by the San Diego Rockets in 1968. It is the first time the Rockets have lost nine successive home games since dropping 11 in a row in 1983.
Kendrick Nunn struggled in the Miami Heat's 89-85 defeat at the Memphis Grizzlies. He was two-of-10 shooting, while making just one of five three-point attempts for five points. Goran Dragic was also poor shooting – two-of-11 from the field as he also missed all four efforts from three-point range in 28 minutes.
Fox calls game!
With the scores tied at 119-119, Sacramento star De'Aaron Fox stepped up to nail a jumper 0.7 seconds from the end.
Wednesday's results
Detroit Pistons 116-112 Toronto Raptors
Brooklyn Nets 124-115 Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks 109-105 Philadelphia 76ers (OT)
Sacramento Kings 121-119 Washington Wizards
Cleveland Cavaliers 117-110 Boston Celtics
San Antonio Spurs 106-99 Chicago Bulls
Golden State Warriors 108-94 Houston Rockets
Denver Nuggets 129-104 Charlotte Hornets
Dallas Mavericks 105-89 Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies 89-85 Miami Heat
Hornets at Lakers
LaMelo Ball and the Hornets (20-18) will visit LeBron James and defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers (27-13) on Thursday.
The Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly acquired P.J. Tucker from the Houston Rockets as the Eastern Conference contenders eye the NBA Finals.
Led by two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are in championship mode after losing in the semi-finals last season, having fallen in the Conference Finals in 2018-19.
The Bucks are fortifying their postseason push by sending D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson to the struggling Rockets for Tucker and Rodions Kurucs, according to ESPN.
Milwaukee and Houston are also reportedly redirecting draft picks as part of the deal.
Tucker has been on the outer in Houston, where he and the Rockets agreed for the veteran to stay away from the team until a trade could be found.
The 35-year-old will bring playoff experience to the Bucks, having spent four years with the Rockets, which included a trip to the Western Conference Finals and back-to-back semi-final appearances.
Tucker has struggled in 2020-21, averaging career lows for points (4.4), field goal percentage (36.6) and three-point percentage (31.4) amid Houston's woes.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat traded Meyers Leonard and a 2027 second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Trevor Ariza.
Leonard – a part of Miami's run to last season's NBA Finals – will not be reporting to Oklahoma City and will not be an active member of the organisation, the Thunder said in a statement.
It comes after Leonard, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in February – was fined $50,000 by the NBA for an anti-Semitic slur last week.
Ariza – an NBA champion in 2009 – lands in Miami, having not played a game in a year after the 35-year-old opted out of the Orlando bubble amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2019-20.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash said Kevin Durant has showed "improvement" in his recovery from a hamstring injury, but a return is still a few "weeks" away.
Durant has been sidelined since February 13 due to a right hamstring strain, which forced him to sit out the NBA All-Star Game this month.
While Durant is on track with his recovery, Nash said the former MVP still has work to do.
"We're monitoring it and expect him to make a full recovery," Nash said ahead of Brooklyn's clash with the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
"And hopefully it won't be too long. But he's probably got a couple weeks of ramp-up left."
Durant made his long-awaited debut for the Nets this season after sitting out the 2019-20 campaign due to an Achilles injury sustained with the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 Finals.
"If he continues to improve and closes the gap on the healing and also puts himself in a position to return safely to play, he'll be back out," Nash added.
"So we'll see. That's kind of up to his body and however long that takes."
Brooklyn's Durant is averaging 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for the star-studded Nets this season.
LeBron James has not been doing anything different in recent matches but the Los Angeles Lakers' shooters have "come alive" since the All-Star break, says head coach Frank Vogel.
Superstar James registered a second consecutive triple-double in as many nights as the Lakers outclassed the NBA-worst Minnesota Timberwolves 137-121.
James, who had 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, now needs just one more to rack up a landmark 100th career triple-double, while it marked his fifth of this season.
Prior to the All-Star game, the Lakers had lost six times in eight games but are now on a three-game winning streak, with James at the heart of team's impressive fortunes.
But Vogel insists it is merely a case of the team being hotter with the ball, saying: "I honestly don't think [James] has been playing that differently than what he was doing leading into the break
"I just think our shooters have come alive. I think we hit a little bit of a wall coming into the break, and then our shooters got their legs under them a little bit, and in the last three games they've been hitting shots, so his assist totals are up."
Several players contributed for the Lakers, with Dennis Schroder putting up 16 points and seven assists, while Kyle Kuzma also had 16 points.
Youngster Talen Horton-Tucker followed up an 18-point showing versus the Golden State Warriors with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The last two games have seen Horton-Tucker excel against two 2020 first-round draft picks in James Wiseman and Anthony Edwards, and James said the 20-year-old – selected in the second round in 2019 – will only continue to grow in stature.
"It's something we've talked about all year, if you go back to the draft Talen Horton-Tucker would not go in the second round," James said about his team-mate.
"We're super-duper lucky and blessed to grab him when we grabbed him. His ability to get downhill, his ability to get to the lane and finish or his ability to make the extra passes, he's a big guard, but with great handle and great balance.
"This is Talen's rookie year too pretty much, he's learning, he'll continue to get better, he's a damn good player right now he'll continue to get better and better."
Damian Lillard described the process required to become a lethal shooter after scoring a season-high 50 points, with the Portland Trail Blazers star lauding Stephen Curry as the greatest in the NBA.
Lillard's haul included 20 in the final quarter as Portland secured a stunning 125-124 comeback victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, having been 17 points behind in the fourth.
The Pelicans were inspired by Lillard's glorious display as he added 10 assists and six rebounds, finishing 18 of 18 from free-throws.
Lillard is now tied with LeBron James in seventh for all-time most 50-point NBA games, while he became only the fourth player to have racked up at least 16,000 points and dished out at least 4,000 assists in their first nine seasons.
Asked by the TNT post-match team how he became such a brilliant shooter, Lillard emphasised the work ethic needed and singled out Golden State Warriors hero Curry as the best in the business.
"It's just putting a lot of time into it," he said.
"We got some great shooters in our league. Obviously we think of Steph Curry first when we think of shooters, the greatest shooter to ever play in our league.
"He'll tell you the same thing, that it's a lot of reps. Whether people are watching or whether you get credit for it or not, you put the time in and you do it at a game pace, you do it with focus, you do it where you hold yourself to a certain standard.
"You make 10 in a row at each spot at the end of your workout when you're tired and you probably don't want to do it, it's things like that over and over again over the years.
"You get better from the reps, but more so than physically you get better mentally and more confident in it because you've done it so often and you've done it when you're tired, you've done it when you didn't want to.
"Then in the moments – whether it's first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, a tough shot, an easy shot – you've got the ultimate confidence that it's going to go in.
"I think confidence is the biggest thing for shooters, right next to just getting the reps in and knowing in your heart that you didn't cheat it, you put the time in and you deserved to make those shots and you expect that result."
The win improved Portland's record to 23-16 as they remain firmly in playoff contention, while the Pelicans slipped to 17-23, despite Lonzo Ball's career-high 17 assists.
Damian Lillard scored a season-high 50 points, including 20 in the last quarter, as the Portland Trail Blazers produced a remarkable comeback to snatch a last-gasp 125-124 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
The Pelicans led by 17 points late in the third term and Brandon Ingram had the chance to ice the game late on, before missing two free-throws as Portland snatched victory.
Lillard was the catalyst with his 20 final-quarter points, totalling 50 for the game, along with 10 assists and six rebounds. He also finished with six three-pointers and 18 of 18 free-throws.
He coolly scored two free-throws after Nickeil Alexander-Walker's costly fumble turned over possession. Zion Williamson had one last chance to steal victory but missed from a good close look.
The result improved Portland's record to 23-16 as they stay firmly in playoff contention while the Pelicans slipped to 17-23, despite Lonzo Ball's career-high 17 assists.
Lillard is now tied with LeBron James in seventh for all-time most 50-point NBA games.
Meanwhile, James had the 99th triple-double of his career with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, while Montrezl Harrell was equal top scorer for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 137-121 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Smooth Jazz back among winners
Rudy Gobert scored 11 of his 16 points in the final period as the Utah Jazz bounced back from their loss to the Golden State Warriors with a 117-109 win over the Boston Celtics.
Gobert, who also had 12 rebounds, was well supported by Donovan Mitchell (21 points and five assists) and impressive sixth man Jordan Clarkson (20 points and three assists) as the Jazz stormed home to edge past Boston.
Without Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris stepped up for the Philadelphia 76ers with 30 points in a thrilling 99-96 triumph over the New York Knicks.
Ben Simmons had 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the 76ers, who trailed by nine at the final change before a dominant fourth quarter.
Jimmy Butler starred with 28 points, 12 rebounds and four assists as the in-form Miami Heat made it five wins in a row with a 113-98 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Miami center Bam Adebayo also returned from injury with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Nate McMillan is yet to lose as head coach at the resurgent Atlanta Hawks, who claimed their sixth consecutive win, beating the Houston Rockets 119-107, led by Danilo Gallinari with 29 points.
No lift-off as Rockets grounded
While Atlanta have turned their season around with a coaching change, Houston have now lost 17 in a row. Stephen Silas is left scratching his head, with his side going from 11-10 to 11-27.
Big blocks
There were some huge blocks on Tuesday but 76ers veteran Dwight Howard stole the show early in the fourth, putting Julius Randle on the floor with an emphatic swat.
Tuesday's results
Utah Jazz 117-109 Boston Celtics
Miami Heat 113-98 Cleveland Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls 123-102 Oklahoma City Thunder
Atlanta Hawks 119-107 Houston Rockets
Philadelphia 76ers 99-96 New York Knicks
Portland Trail Blazers 125-124 New Orleans Pelicans
Los Angeles Lakers 137-121 Minnesota Timberwolves
Bucks at 76ers
The 76ers, without the injured Embiid, take on Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks in a blockbuster clash on Wednesday.
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