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Wednesday’s Nets victory may need summed up the beginning of James Harden’s season: Adequate however underwhelming.
Harden referred to as the second-half stumbles in opposition to Cleveland a “meltdown,” and although the Nets ultimately held on to win, it required a ton of power in opposition to a workforce lacking 60 % of its beginning 5.
For Harden himself, his numbers are ticking up as he adjusts to a league that’s now not calling the fouls that he had mastered drawing. The alarms from his first dozen video games this yr have quieted, however he nonetheless shouldn’t be fairly the famous person who finagled his strategy to being top-of-the-line scorers in NBA historical past.
“We simply obtained to maintain combating, man,” Harden mentioned after scoring 27 factors on 6 of 12 capturing in opposition to the Cavs. “Discover methods to come back away with wins, discover methods to maintain bettering on each ends of the ball. It’s a protracted season.”
Most encouraging just lately from Harden is that he’s discovering methods to return to the foul line. He went 12 of 12 Wednesday and has 43 makes an attempt in his final 4 video games. He averaged 4.7 makes an attempt within the first 12 contests of the season.
He’s adapting, and there have been fewer cases during which he flings his physique into defenders and fewer baiting these defenders into the air and leaning into them.
Lots of the fouls Harden has drawn just lately have come extra naturally by means of drives to the ring — which is perhaps contributing to a newfound turnover difficulty.
Final season, he averaged 4 per sport, which is as much as 4.9 this yr and has been getting worse. He has turned the ball over 29 instances in his previous 5 video games.
It’s nonetheless early, the workforce and star will let you know. However he must maintain tweaking his model of play as he searches for what works greatest.
“We’re in a bit of little bit of a funk proper now in a way of simply every thing,” Harden mentioned. “However we win and maintain going. Prepare for Friday.”
In a league that’s more and more about 3-pointers, the Nets are main the NBA in an neglected facet of capturing: the midrange sport.
Coming into play Thursday, their 52.5 % mark on photographs from 10-15 ft was the most effective in basketball. Harden has shot 75 % from that vary, whereas Kevin Durant is at 66 % and LaMarcus Aldridge at 63.9.
Durant, who moved up on the all-time 3-pointers checklist to No. 26, leapfrogging coach Steve Nash on Wednesday, now has sunk 1,687 for his profession. He’s 32 shy of Dale Ellis.
“He’s obtained just a few extra guys to cross,” Nash mentioned.
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