NEW ORLEANS — When he got off to a slow scoring start this season, James Harden said his body and conditioning weren’t yet ready to score 30 and 40 points.
It took him 13 games but Harden cracked 30 points for the first time this season, and nearly hit 40. The Brooklyn Nets guard had 39 points and 12 assists to help Brooklyn hold off the New Orleans Pelicans 120-112 at the Smoothie King Center.
“I’m getting there,” Harden said of him regaining his MVP form. “It wasn’t going to take long. I mean, this is the highest [level] in the sport is the NBA, the most talented players in this world. So it’s not going to be easy for me to just come out there and do what I do. It takes a lot of hard work to be playing at a point to which you guys have seen me play at.
“When I’m not scoring 30 points, when I’m averaging 18-some points, it’s like, ‘What’s wrong with James?’ It’s pretty solid still. I’ve been playing so well and so extremely at another level to where you guys set standards for me, and I set standards for myself as well. For me, I just continue to work. I feel a lot better, and the work don’t stop.”
New Orleans actually erased a 21-point, third-quarter deficit and led by three with 4:36 remaining. But Harden and Kevin Durant combined to score 11 points after that to put the Pelicans away.
Durant, who is off to a MVP-caliber start, had 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to help the Nets (9-4) win for the seventh time in their last eight games. Harden and Durant combined for 67 points, their second-largest total in a game as teammates with the Nets behind the 74 combined points the All-Stars had on January 16, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
When asked what opposing defenses can do when the two All-Stars are cooking at the same time, Harden paused.
“Ummm, pray?” Harden cracked. “I’m just playing [around]. I mean, it’s difficult. We’re two unselfish basketball players. We’re versatile. Obviously, Kevin is known for his scoring, efficient scoring, but he’s…
Source : espn
