NEW YORK – Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and James Harden are advancing at an impressive pace – and history books prove it.
On Monday night, they became the first pair to score more than 30 points in each of the first two games with a franchise, when the Nets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 125-123. Durant had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, while Harden had 34 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists.
That came in the wake of Harden’s 30-point triple-double performance on Saturday in his Nets debut against Magic, a game in which Durant scored 42.
Since Harden’s arrival in Brooklyn, Nets coaches and management have said repeatedly that they would rely on the previous chemistry that Harden and Durant had built during their tenure in Oklahoma City. After all, Harden has not yet had a single training session with Brooklyn.
Harden said their maturity helped further synergy on the court.
“We were young in Oklahoma City,” said Harden. “We are adult men now. We know what we want. We really know the game of basketball now. We are not those young people who want to run and just shoot and dunk all day. And then, for me, I sit and I know the which is player Kevin Durant. He’s one of the best players to ever touch a basketball. “
Harden and Durant scored 138 points in their first two games together in Brooklyn, according to ESPN’s Stats & Information poll. This is the second highest number of combined points for teammates in their first two games along with a franchise in NBA history, after Wilt Chamberlain and York Larese scored 151 in 1961. Chamberlain scored 139 of 151 points, with Larese scoring 0 in their first game together and 12 in the second.
Durant said he is not surprised at how quickly he and Harden are coming together on the court.
“We have been through a lot in this league,” said Durant. “We have experienced a lot and, for us, get together now and combine what we have learned over this time and try to play excellent basketball, I think it was very easy for us.
“It was an easy transition, especially with James dealing a lot with the ball coming in. So we are still trying to find our way and we still have room to improve, but it is a solid start.”
And on Tuesday, the Nets are expected to add another ingredient to the mix, as Kyrie Irving is expected to train for the first time in more than two weeks.