"Now we just add KD, LaMarcus, Kai and Joe Harris" - James Harden after Brooklyn Nets' back-to-back wins against 2 LA teams
James Harden is upbeat after the depleted Brooklyn Nets beat the LA Lakers and LA Clippers in successive games on the road.
Harden has been in stellar form since returning from the league's health and safety protocols. The 32-year-old has led the Nets to wins against both LA teams at the newly named Crypto.com Arena. That has helped the Nets solidify their position atop the Eastern Conference.
Despite the absence of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Nets came out on top in both games. Harden believes that is a huge confidence booster, and things should only get better when the other stars return. After the two morale-boosting road wins in LA, Harden said in the post-game press conference:
"Confidence is through the roof right now; we just add KD, LaMarcus, Kai and Joe Harris. You know, that's four of our best players, four of our top players. When they are out, the confidence level of our bench and the guys that are checking in the game is high."
"Come in the game and impact the game in different ways; and we can find different ways to win basketball way;, that's what it's about. You know, it's not always going to be pretty, but defensively we can get after it and lock teams down, and, I mean, guys stepped up big time in this road trip."
"Confidence is through the roof. Now we just add KD, LaMarcus, Kai and Joe Harris" - James Harden on the Nets' winning both their games in Los Angeles before heading back home to Brooklyn https://t.co/KqGm6uzorf
Harden had a pretty slow start to his campaign. The break due to the league's health and safety protocol also kept him out for a while. However, the layoff seems to have done wonders for him, as he has come back looking dangerous.
He scored 34 against the Lakers before following that up with a 39-point performance against the Clippers. The game on Monday was special for Harden, as he became only the tenth player in NBA history to bag 20,000 points, 6,000 assists and 5,000 rebounds. On reaching the milestone, Harden said:
"Just want to win, just try to find ways to impact the game on a night in and night out basis, that's it man. Just try to go out there and do what I can do to the best of my abilities every night."
"Helping our team rebound, hitting guys for open shots, hitting our bigs making it easy for them and then scoring the ball and being the triple threat I can be every single night. I mean, I'm sure the other nine guys are elite and Hall of Famers, so I just got to keep pushing."
Elite Status
@JHarden13 #NBAAllStar https://t.co/j6OXJWgvQx
James Harden leads the Brooklyn Nets to another impressive win at the Crypto Arena
The Brooklyn Nets came into the game on Monday after an exciting Christmas Day win against the LA Lakers. They rode that momentum against the Clippers, scoring 38 in the first quarter alone. Harden kept making buckets, helping the team to take a 16-point lead at half-time.
The game was only going to go in the Nets' favour from there. Patty Mills and Nicholas Claxton scored 18 points apiece to complement the efforts of Harden. The former MVP shot at 60% from the field, displaying no rustiness from a long layoff.
We came to play 😈 https://t.co/8yypkquMR1
Despite the best efforts of Marcus Morris Sr., the Nets won 124-108 on the night. That helped them consolidate their position atop the East. They still await the return of other stars, which should further boost their fortunes. The Nets will next host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, December 30.
Also Read: How many rings does LeBron James have?