James Harden and the Nets have been stifled as much as anyone this season by the NBA’s rule changes designed to call fewer fouls on non-basketball moves.
But head coach Steve Nash’s team climbed back from its latest ugly start Friday night by getting to the free-throw line consistently for the first time all season. The Nets overcame a 16-point deficit in the second quarter to even their record at 3-3 with a 105-98 comeback win over the Pacers at Barclays Center.
Harden sank 16 of 19 from the stripe and finished with a season-high 29 points (21 in the first half) and eight assists. Kevin Durant netted 22 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes for the Nets, who have alternated losses and wins over their first six games.
The Nets exceeded their season-high in free-throw attempts (24) before the end of the second quarter and went 31-for-41 overall from the line.
“It was just me being aggressive,” said Harden, whose previous season-high for free-throw attempts this season was four. “The first couple of games I wasn’t aggressive. I was aggressive in spurts, but just trying to be aggressive for four quarters.
James Harden, 29 points, and the Nets rallied to beat the Pacers on Friday night. Corey Sipkin“I had that burst, that speed of getting to my spots, whether I was getting to the basket or shooting my shots. I felt pretty good out there for an entire game.”
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 21 points to become the 48th player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points, and Paul Millsap added eight points in 13 minutes for the Nets.
Torrey Craig poured in 28 and rookie Chris Duarte had 19 for the Pacers, who played without injured guards Malcolm Brogdon and former Net Caris LeVert.
The sloppy Nets committed five of their 18 turnovers in the first quarter, including three by Harden, and trailed 38-26 after one period.
The Pacers carried an early 16-7 rebounding edge in building their big lead, but the Nets finished ahead on the boards (50-46 overall) to continue their trend of winning the battle on the glass in each of the three games they have won this season.
Indiana extended its lead to 46-30 early in the second quarter on back-to-back offensive put-backs by Craig, but Millsap and Harden sparked a 23-5 run with 14 combined made free throws in the quarter.
Nash, who said beforehand that “the game is being called very differently” this season, got in a lengthy discussion with the referees after one non-call on Harden in the first half.
“We are still trying to figure it out. I think the refs are, too,” Nash said after the game. “It is a big change for everyone and probably will take a lot of time to figure that out.”
Durant endured a rare moment of frustration in the third quarter, drawing a technical foul for hurling the ball into the stands after a non-call. Officiating crew chief Sean Wright acknowledged after reviewing the play that Durant “should have been ejected.”
Kevin Durant attacks the rim of the Nets against the Pacers. for the NY POST“I tried to hit it off the backboard but I still shouldn’t have [done] that,” said Durant, who committed seven turnovers. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I thought I was in the gym by myself, a pick-up game [and] not a NBA game. I can’t do that. I could have cost my team the game. It won’t happen again.
“I’m sure a hefty [fine] is coming. But I don’t mind giving [it]. I’m sure someone in the NBA offices is going to use that towards a college fund.”
Durant stayed in the game and knocked down two more free throws and a 20-foot jumper — and Aldridge buried four shots from the outside — during a 17-7 spurt to close the third quarter for an 85-74 Nets lead entering the fourth.
The Pacers, however, opened the fourth quarter on a 16-5 run and drew even on consecutive drives by T.J. McConnell and a free throw by Domantas Sabonis midway through the period. But Harden dropped in a baseline drive and then added two more free throws with 4:33 remaining to trigger a 13-2 run that sealed the victory.
“Giving them 38 [points in the first quarter] was horrible. … But I think we did a good job of fighting back,” Durant said. “The second unit was incredible. We’re a deep team. That’s what you need, guys that come off the bench and give you that extra spark.”
