NEW YORK – Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and James Harden set an impressive pace, and history books endorse it.
On Monday night, they became the first duo to score more than 30 points in each of their first two games with a franchise, as the Nets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 125-123. Durant scored 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, while Harden totaled 34 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists.
That came after Harden’s triple and double performance on Saturday in his Nets debut against the Magic, a game in which Durant scored 42.
Since Harden’s arrival in Brooklyn, coaches and Nets management have repeatedly said they will rely on the previous chemistry that Harden and Durant had built during their tenure in Oklahoma City. After all, Harden has yet to have any training sessions with Brooklyn.
Harden said his maturity has further helped his synergy in the courts.
“We were young in Oklahoma City,” Harden said. “Now we’re big men. We know what we want. We really know the game of basketball now. We’re not those young guys who want to run and shoot all day. And then, for me, I sit down and I know what player Kevin Durant is. He is one of the best players to ever play basketball. “
Harden and Durant have combined for 138 points in their first two games together in Brooklyn, according to ESPN’s research on statistics and information. This is the second most combined point for teammates in their first two games along with a franchise in NBA history after Wilt Chamberlain and York Larese had 151 in 1961. Chamberlain scored 139 of 151 points, with Larese scoring 0 in their first game together. and 12 per second.
Durant said he is not surprised at how quickly Harden and he are intertwining the track.
“We’ve lived a lot of things in this league,” Durant said. “We’ve experienced a lot and for us to put it together now and combine what we’ve learned over time and try to play fantastic basketball, I think it was very easy for us.
“It was an easy transition, especially with James handling the ball a lot. So we’re still trying to find our way and we still have room to improve, but it’s a solid start.”
And on Tuesday, the Nets are expected to add another ingredient to the mix, as Kyrie Irving will be put into practice for the first time in more than two weeks.