NEW YORK — Give the Nets this — it was closer than most people thought it would be.
Playing without all three of their star players Wednesday night, against MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, and on the second night of a back-to-back, there was every reason to believe these Nets would simply roll over against the Nuggets substantial fire power. But though they eventually fell, 124-118, at Barclays Center, there was still some good to be seen in the form of rookie Cam Thomas, who scored a career-high 25 points, and Patty Mills, who had 21.
The stuff off the court? Well, that’s another story.
A day after Bleacher Report cited "several confidants" claiming that Harden is seeking to pursue free agency this offseason because of numerous issues, the star guard went down with a tight left hamstring, missing the game.
What’s more, coach Steve Nash was stuck asserting that Harden was actually happy in New York, contrary to the report, which stated that Harden was displeased with Kyrie Irving’s part-time status, did not enjoy living in Brooklyn and didn’t like some of Nash’s late in-game decisions. That, along with the injury to Kevin Durant, who is recovering from an MCL sprain and isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break, has led to a disjointed and often frustrating campaign so far this season.
"Yeah, I think James is happy to be here," Nash said before the Nets took on the Nuggets Wednesday night. "I just think it’s frustrating right now because we haven’t great basketball, we’ve had a lot of injuries, a lot of illness, a lot of guys in and out of the lineup, a lot of chop and change. So that can be frustrating for sure to not have that kind of consistency to build on. We haven’t had our best performances. We’ve had a few, but ever since the COVID return, it’s been very, let’s say average basketball overall. We have higher expectations and it’s frustrating, but I think James is happy here for sure."
Harden all but denied the report in a testy exchange with the media Tuesday night, saying he enjoyed living in New York and didn’t appreciate the anonymous sourcing. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday night that the Nets aren't entertaining trade offers for Harden ahead of the deadline, due largely to Harden having told ownership and management that he's dedicated to playing in Brooklyn.
And though the Nets kept it close Wednesday night, Harden’s loss was certainly felt.
The Nuggets were up by as many as 11 early in the first quarter, but the Nets, led by a well-balanced attack in which eight players scored in the frame, were able to crawl back, take temporary leads and enter the second quarter only down 29-28.
The rookie contributions, brisk pace and slick ball movement allowed the Nets to continue to keep it close in the second quarter, and finally pull ahead in the dwindling minutes thanks to a 15-2 run, capped by DeAndre’ Bembry’s thunderous dunk with 1:05 to go. That put the Nets up 63-54, and they went to the half up 65-54. The 22-point swing was primarily facilitated by LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 14 points in the first half while holding Nikola Jokic to seven, and Thomas, who scored 12 off the bench. The Nuggets were kept to only 41.7% shooting in the first half.
The Nuggets, though, regrouped at halftime, putting together a 12-3 run that nearly erased the Nets lead and then finally breaking through in the dwindling minutes of the third, going up 86-82 on another 12-3 run. The Nets eventually got a few breaks in the fourth: DeMarcus Cousins was ejected midway through the fourth quarter when he angrily bounced a ball toward the referee after a traveling call, and a Patty Mills corner three tied it at 99 with 9:58 to go. That would be as close as they would get, though, as the Nuggets scored the next five and Aldridge missed two pivotal free throws with a little over three minutes to go.
