Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant had 25 points in the game. (Image: dpa)
(Photo: John Minchillo / AP / dpa)
Philadelphia – In the first game against former teammate James Harden, the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA surprisingly easily won against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Harden had switched from the Nets to the 76ers a few weeks ago and was now powerless at 100:129 in the home game against the performance of his former team of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. At half-time the guests were already leading 72:51 and with a dominant third quarter eliminated all remaining doubts about victory.
“We did a good job of not fouling,” Durant said on US television about the good start to the game. Durant had 25 points, Irving had 22 and Seth Curry, who was sent to Brooklyn from the 76ers as part of the Harden move, had 24 points. “He’s just a spark plug,” Durant praised. Harden only had eleven points and six assists, the best pitcher was Joel Embiid with 27 points for the 76ers. Ben Simmons, who had forced his departure for months and, like Curry, was part of the Harden swap deal, returned to Philadelphia for the first time since leaving and was booed vigorously. Because he is not fit yet, he was not used.
In the close fight for the best playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, the defeat was a sensitive damper for the 76ers. The Nets, on the other hand, gained some breathing room and still have hopes of a direct qualification for the knockout stages of the season.
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