Brooklyn – James Harden flirted with a triple-double, scoring 27 points with 15 assists and eight rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets rolled over the New Orleans Pelicans 120-105 despite an injury to NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant.
“The guys got to step up. It’s simple,” Harden said. “Obviously you know how great of a player KD is and what he brings to the table each and every night consistently. So, guys got to step up and fill that role and just continue to compete.”
Durant was hurt with 5:44 left in the second quarter of Saturday’s contest when he collided with teammate Bruce Brown. Durant grimaced from the contact but stayed in the game for the next possession before calling a timeout and heading to the dressing room.
Before exiting, Durant — who entered Saturday averaging 29.7 points per game — scored 12 points in the first quarter to help the Nets compile a 32-22 lead.
Coach Steve Nash said they are hoping that Durant won’t be forced to miss significant time.
“Yeah, of course it will be tough to lose him,” Nash said. “You know no one wants to see that. We obviously hope for the best outcome. Regardless of the outcome, we have to continue to work, build and grow, and get better and compete.”
Patty Mills added 21 points and Kessler Edwards chipped in 16 for the Nets, who never trailed in front of a crowd of 17,000 at Barclays Center.
In Milwaukee, Pascal Siakam posted his second career triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Toronto Raptors rallied from 15 points down to beat the league champion Milwaukee Bucks 103-96.
In Miami, Joel Embiid scored 11 points in the final 6:18 to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 109-98 victory over the Miami Heat.
In Denver, Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds and the Denver Nuggets dominated the Los Angeles Lakers 133-96.