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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Brooklyn Nets would not be a 50-win team this season, but they still hold a slim chance to top the EC if the Sixers perish. Also, with James Harden back in the squad, their scoring is bound to get better, and that’s exactly what was on the show against the Spurs.

The Nets, playing without Kyrie Irving, took a big first quarter and then replicated the same dominance in the third. The Beard came off the bench to make a statement, and he was very much successful in the endeavor. 

James Harden proved that he’s officially back 

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The Beard is a world-class playmaker, and he has only bettered that art ever since he joined the Nets. Averaging close to 11 assists a night, James Harden is every bit like his 2017 self when he was the scoring champion too. 

In his comeback night against the Spurs, the star point guard made a fabulous assist that marked his return. With the Nets leading 51-44 in the last couple of minutes in Q2, James fired a single-bounce half-court pass.

His assist pierced through four of the Spurs defenders and reached an open Jeff Green who finished it with a dunk. Take a look at the ease with which he initiated the play –

In the first 15 minutes of his restricted playtime on the court, The Beard scored 8 points, 4 rebs, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Now that’s too good for a man entering fifth from the bench and playing after a gap of 18 games.

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What were some takeaways for the Brooklyn Nets overall?

Surprisingly, the Nets seem to carry some bad luck when it’s about all the three legendary names playing together. Last month, exactly before Kevin Durant’s hyped return, James Harden hurt himself.

And now, right before Harden’s return, Kyrie Irving injured his face with that elbow against the Bulls. So, it’s still a long wait for the Nets to build that cohesion with the Big Three playing together.

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Against the Spurs, however, guard Landry Shamet perfectly replaced the scoring of Ky with his three-point bombardment. Plus, Bruce Brown and Blake Griffin both enjoyed a 60+ FG% night making it tough for the Spurs to keep up.

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Nicolas Claxton came from the bench to handle both the ends pretty well and that just showed how deep the Nets are this season.

Do you see any team stopping this side from reaching the NBA Finals? Help us know in the comments.