Brooklyn 98, Miami 85
LA Lakers 115, Cleveland 108
Detroit 119, Philadelphia 104
Denver 117, Dallas 113
Boston 119, Chicago 103
Golden State 130, Minnesota 108
Oklahoma City 125, Portland 122
Indiana 129, Toronto 114
Orlando 117, Charlotte 108
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – James Harden believes the best is yet to come after producing a late burst of scoring to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 98-85 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday.
Harden, who joined the Nets in a blockbuster trade from Houston earlier this month, produced a dazzling burst of fourth-quarter scoring as Brooklyn finally overpowered an under-strength Miami team.
The 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player poured on 16 of his 20 points in the final period to lead the Brooklyn scoring alongside Kevin Durant, who also had 20.
Harden and Durant’s contributions in the fourth quarter proved decisive, with the duo making a succession of three-pointers as Brooklyn reeled off 15 unanswered points.
Kyrie Irving had 16 points, while Joe Harris finished with 12 and DeAndre Jordan 11. The victory improved the Nets’ season record to 11-8 in the Eastern Conference.
But it was Harden who caught the eye with his game-changing late cameo that swung the contest in Brooklyn’s favor.
”I was in a role for eight years (in Houston) where I was controlling the ball, dominating the ball,” Harden said. ”Now it’s a different experience for me but it’s still great.”
Nets coach Steve Nash showered praise on Brooklyn’s star new recruit.
“He was great,” Nash said of Harden. “We’re starting to see a glimpse of the things he can do scoring the ball.”
“He’s one of the greatest offensive players to ever play the game. He’s so effective manipulating the defense that he’s a positive even when he’s not scoring.”
Elsewhere on Monday, LeBron James conjured another virtuoso performance for the Los Angeles Lakers in a 115-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Ohio.
James finished with 46 points, eight rebounds and six assists to subdue his former club.
Anthony Davis finished with 17 points for the Lakers, while Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 10 points apiece.
The win nudged the Lakers back into first place in the Western Conference standings, with 14 wins and four defeats. The Los Angeles Clippers, who play in Atlanta on Tuesday, are second on 13-4.
Elsewhere on Monday, the lowly Detroit Pistons upset the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers, 119-104, with the help of a 28-point haul from Delon Wright.
The Pistons, bottom of the East on 4-13, romped to a blowout win with Jerami Grant also adding 25 points.
In Dallas, meanwhile, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was ejected after appearing to hit the Mavericks’ Tim Hardaway Jr in the groin in an off-the-ball incident in the third quarter. The Nuggets went on to win, 117-113.
