Kevin Durant Awestruck After James Harden's Dominant 39-Point Game
Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden broke out of whatever potential funk he was in to begin the season in impressive fashion last night, dropping a season-high 39 points with six threes, 12 assists, and five rebounds in Brooklyn’s 120-112 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Harden and his play had been a subject of speculation to begin the 2021 season. He’d played well up until Friday night’s breakout performance, but for some, didn’t appear to be playing at the seemingly unstoppable level fans and media were accustomed to seeing from the 2018 MVP and 3x scoring champion.
Whether it was concerning the new rule changes against player-friendly foul calls that James had previously been a benefactor of, or about doubts surrounding his overall health after dealing with a hamstring injury last season, Harden was under a microscope throughout the early going.