Kyrie Irving scores 40; James Harden posts triple-double as Brooklyn Nets blast Kings
Former MVP and 10-time All-Star Kevin Durant was out with a strained right hamstring, but the Brooklyn Nets still brought plenty of star power to Sacramento.
Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 40 points and James Harden recorded a triple-double, leading the Nets to a record-setting 136-125 victory over the Kings on Monday night at Golden 1 Center.
Harden finished with 29 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds for the Nets (17-12), who set a franchise record with 27 3-pointers. DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Irving made 15 of 22 field-goal attempts and 9 of 11 from 3-point range for the Nets, who lead the NBA in scoring at 121.4 points per game. Brooklyn made 27 of 47 from 3-point range, nearly matching the NBA record of 29 3-point goals set earlier this season by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Nets shot 57.3% from the field and 57.4% from 3-point range.
“It’s unfortunate, but we knew this was going to be that type of test,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “We’re in an area as a team where we’ve got to grind out of it together again for the second time this season, and we will, but we have work to do.”
Hassan Whiteside came off the bench to post 26 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Kings (12-15), who have lost four in a row. Whiteside became the first Kings player since Chris Webber to have at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in a game. Whiteside is the first player in franchise history to achieve this feat as a reserve.
Cory Joseph had 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting in a rare start for the Kings. Buddy Hield added 21 points. De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III had 19 points apiece.
Bagley said the Kings need to get back to the brand of basketball that allowed them to win seven of eight in late January and early February.
“When we’re winning, we’re getting stops,” Bagley said. “We’re playing together. We’re moving the ball, getting a lot of assists, making the right defensive reads, just playing together, playing basketball, having fun, trusting each other. That’s when we’re playing our best, but in stretches like this we kind of tend to go away from those things.”
The Kings had a couple of injuries issues to sort out before the game. Both starting big men, Bagley and Richaun Holmes, were questionable due to injuries. Bagley was cleared to play after missing the past two games with left calf soreness, but Holmes was ruled out with a sore right knee.
Walton elected to start a three-guard lineup of Fox, Hield and Joseph with Harrison Barnes at power forward and Bagley at center. The Nets countered with a whole lot of Irving and Harden.
Irving scored 16 in the first quarter and finished the opening half with 23, helping the Nets carry a 74-68 lead into the break. Harden went into intermission with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Nets, who made 14 of 21 from 3-point range to tie a franchise record for 3-pointers in a half.
Brooklyn broke the game open with a 20-0 run in the third quarter, turning an 82-80 lead into a blowout. The Nets led by as many as 28 in the fourth before the Kings ended the game with a 25-8 run over the final 5:41.
Irving and Harden combined to make 15 3-pointers for Brooklyn. Jeff Green, Landry Shamet, Joe Harris, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Tyler Johnson all had at least two 3s.
Whiteside called the Nets “an offensive juggernaut.”
Fox said the Kings have to get back to playing defense like they did during their recent hot streak.
“Yeah, they made some tough shots, but I think it was easy for them,” Fox said. “And obviously they have two stars on that team, but we still have to be able to make it difficult for them.”
More CoJo
Joseph continued his recent resurgence after struggling for a couple of weeks. The 29-year-old guard went 6 of 6 from the field before missing his first shot with 7:40 to play in the third quarter. He finished 10 of 13 from the field and 2 of 2 from 3-point range.
Joseph scored 12 points in a 123-112 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday. He had 16 points in a 124-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
Over the past three games, Joseph has made 22 of 32 (.688) from the field and 5 of 9 (.556) from beyond the arc. In the six previous games, Joseph scored a total of 11 points, making just 5 of 19 (.263) from the field and 1 of 8 (.125) from 3-point range.
“Before, I was in a little bit of a shooting rhythm that wasn’t as good,” Joseph said after Sunday’s game. “I’ve got more of a rhythm now, but how I judge my game is by wins and losses. That’s why I feel like I’ve always been a winner. That’s what I can contribute. Whatever the team needs me to do, whether it shows up on the stat sheet or not, I just want to win games. That’s when I’m most happy. The last two games I was able to individually get a little rhythm, but we didn’t win the game, so I’d rather win the game and have a bad stat line. That’s how I judge my game. I’m just trying to win.”
Up next
The Kings will have Tuesday and Wednesday off before concluding their five-game homestand against the Miami Heat on Thursday. The Heat (11-15) has been a different team since Jimmy Butler returned a couple of weeks ago, particularly on defense.
Miami went 2-8 while Butler was out due to NBA COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The Heat had won five of eight going into Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, moving within a half-game of the Toronto Raptors for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat has been one of the best defensive teams in the league since Butler returned. Miami held six of its last eight opponents to less than 105 points. That stretch started with a 105-104 victory over the Kings on Jan. 30.
Miami will visit the Golden Warriors on Wednesday before coming to Sacramento on Thursday on the second night of a back-to-back. It will be the Heat’s third game in four nights.
Injury report
Nets: OUT — Kevin Durant (hamstring); Nicolas Claxton (knee); Spencer Dinwiddie (knee); Iman Shumpert (hamstring).
Kings: OUT — Richaun Holmes (calf); Jahmi’us Ramsey (G League); Robert Woodard II (G League).
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 18 vs. Miami Heat, 7 p.m.
Feb. 20 at Chicago Bulls, 5 p.m.
Feb. 21 at Milwaukee Bucks, 5 p.m.
Feb. 23 at Brooklyn Nets, 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 25 at New York Knicks, 4:30 p.m.
This story was originally published February 15, 2021 at 9:33 PM.
