At a certain point in the NBA’s condensed 72-game schedule, the games start running together, and many Nets say they generally have grown numb to the challenges of dealing with key injuries and COVID-19 medical protocols. Then, out of the blue, along comes the kind of game that can define a season and produce memories that last forever.
That’s what happened for a Nets team playing without injured stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, trailing by as many as 24 points in the second quarter and facing a 75-54 halftime deficit in the second game of a back-to-back set Tuesday night in Phoenix. Against all odds, the Nets pulled out a 128-124 victory over the Suns with a 40-point fourth quarter, a 12-0 finishing kick, 38 points from James Harden and inspiring play up and down the roster.
"The guys are rightfully excited," coach Steve Nash said after the game. "It’s a great morale booster, especially missing Kevin and Ky and finding a way to make up for a 24-point deficit. We showed a lot of character, a lot of heart, and as a coaching staff, that just makes you proud."
Harden described the comeback as "the true definition of a team," and he lauded the contributions of players such as Tyler Johnson and Bruce Brown, who replaced Irving and Durant in the starting lineup, and Jeff Green, who came off the bench with 18 points and eight rebounds and played a critical fourth-quarter role.
"It’s a chemistry-builder for us," Harden said, noting that it came against a Suns team that had won nine of its previous 10 games. "The way we’re playing and the potential we have as a team is what I’m excited about. We’re down two of our best players and we come away with a win after being down 21 at half [marking the biggest second-half comeback in franchise history].
"That’s exciting. We could have easily given up, but we didn’t give up. Hopefully, we get KD and Ky back next game and just keep this train rolling until the break."
Irving (lower back tightness) is listed as probable for the Nets (18-12) against the Lakers (22-7) Thursday night at Staples Center, but Durant (left hamstring strain) was ruled out and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (right knee soreness) was listed as questionable. The Lakers have won eight of their past nine games and LeBron James is having an MVP-type season, but All-Star center Anthony Davis is out indefinitely with a serious calf injury.
The Nets are on a four-game winning streak that ties their season high, and they have moved within a game of the Eastern Conference-leading 76ers. As much as they have struggled to build consistency with Irving and Durant in and out of the lineup since the Harden trade, what really thrilled Nash is what a comeback like the one against the Suns might do for the role players, who put together an 18-6 fourth-quarter run to cut the deficit to two points with Harden on the bench.
"I think it’s important for them," Nash said. "We have a star-studded team, so to speak, and for some of those role players, it’s a big change to play on a team like this that has such high-profile players and it can be difficult for their confidence at times…So just letting them find their comfort zone and then having success on nights like this is really important for the second unit, for all the role players and also just for the entirety of our team."
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
February 18, 2021 at 05:28AM
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Comeback victory over Suns a 'great morale booster' for Nets - Newsday
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