The Milwaukee Bucks have a former MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in Giannis Antetokounmpo, yet for the second-straight night, the team hasn’t been able to capitalize against a James Harden-less Nets squad.
The Nets took a controlling 2-0 series lead after dominating the Bucks 125-86 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday. Brooklyn led by as much as 49 points in the game, with the Bucks conceding early in the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving poured in 54 points, with the team shooting over 50 percent from both the field (49-94 Fg) and three-point range (21-42 3pt).
Even without Harden’s offensive production as a primary playmaker and scorer, Brooklyn hasn’t lost a step. The Nets’ small-ball lineups have seen increased contributions from their role players, including Joe Harris, Blake Griffin, and Mike James. Brooklyn’s reserves have outscored Milwaukee’s 62-43 through the first two games of the series.
Harris and Griffin are continuing to have success spacing the floor in Brooklyn’s five-out motion offense. The two combined for 37 points in the Game 1 victory as Griffin went for a double-double with 14 rebounds. Harris has also been an automatic threat from deep as the guard is shooting 50 percent (8-16 3pt) from three-point range and is thriving with more touches.
Mike James has filled Harden’s role of being the primary ball-handler for Brooklyn’s secondary unit and has performed well alongside Irving. The Portland native is averaging 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in the series and has almost turned into an unexpected playoff hero for the Nets.
Even Bruce Brown, who was inserted into the starting lineup for Game 2 as Harden’s replacement has seen success becoming an offensive threat. In 26 minutes of play in Game 2, he totaled 13 points on 60 percent shooting from the field.
After averaging 120 points through the first two games against Milwaukee, the Nets are leading in points per game in the playoffs with 122.4 over 7 games. It gets even better, as a team they’re shooting 50 percent from the field, 43 percent from three-point range, and 91 percent from the free-throw line. Brooklyn has become completely unstoppable.
Brooklyn’s only loss came in a 125-119 loss on the road against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the first round where Jayson Tatum put up an absurd 50-point performance. Even then, Brooklyn’s trio of Harden, Irving, and Durant combined for 96 points as the Nets just barely lost by six points.
The message the Nets have sent throughout the entire season has been their ability to fight fire with fire. Despite their atrocious defense, the Nets will outscore anyone by putting up 120-plus points a game and giving up their average of 114.1 points to their opponent. Brooklyn has three of the top-five pure scorers in the NBA and arguably the greatest scorer ever in Durant. The absence of their second-best player hasn’t and won’t hinder their ability to score the ball–if anything, Brooklyn is well prepared to play without Harden going forward.
Harden straining his right hamstring just 43 seconds into the action of Game 1 is the second time he’s injured it this season. Harden missed a total of 20 games this season due to the original injury and the Nets had a record of 19-17 without him in the regular season. Currently, there’s no timetable for Harden’s return to the playoffs.
“It sucks. It sucks because I want him to be out there,” said Durant on Harden’s injury after Game 1. “I know how much he wants to be in this moment.”
There’s no doubt that Harden’s injury will have an impact on the Nets going forward but the emergence of their role players along with the talent of Durant and Irving still makes them the favorite over the field.
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