The Nets lost to the Kings on the road and suffered six straight losses. Without Durant, Harden and Irving would not have been able to live this team. Worse still, with Durant's injury and Irving's suspension, Harden seems to have some excitement in his heart and has lost the motivation to compete.
At the beginning of the game, Harden was somewhat out of shape, he was slow and leisurely, the offense lacked aggression, resulting in the team's offensive blockage, ineffective conduction, the end of failure, and the Nets could not play the smooth feeling they should have. However, the rival kings are not a strong brigade, their strength is limited, so the two sides did not start the gap.
Defensively, Harden was equally absent-minded, facing Harkless who received the ball in the bottom corner, Harden just reached out slightly, and then looked back at the basket, without any enthusiasm for reinforcement, and staged the eye defense to the extreme. But even so, the Nets, with a stronger roster strength, took an eight-point lead in the first half. Harden, on the other hand, only shot 1 of 5, with only 2 points, 2 boards and 6 assists.
In the second half of the third quarter, the Nets took a sharp turn for the worse, and the Kings blasted a 13-4 frenzy in just over 3 minutes, forcing the score to just one round behind. In the early part of the final quarter, the Kings continued to be out of control, once again blasting out an 18-7 climax, then reversing the score and taking a double-digit lead. But during this time, Harden's presence was almost zero, and Irving failed to step forward, and eventually the Nets suffered a humiliating rout.
What was supposed to be a back-to-back away game where Irving could strike efficiently, the Nets' recent form has been in a slump. They suffered six consecutive losses, and without Durant, the Nets showed their original form, and recently only got a 2-7 record. While they're still sixth in the East, making it to the playoffs shouldn't be a problem, but for a title-contending team, that performance is somewhat disappointing.
Harden's state is even more worrying. In the game, he had only 4 points, 8 boards and 12 assists on 2-of-11 shooting, as many as 6 turnovers. The last time Harden scored just four points in a single game, it goes back 11 years to playing for the Thunder. Compared with the substitute role at that time, today's Harden has already achieved fame and is very different. Therefore, the single-game scoring of this battle can be said to have created a shame in his career.
How much oil is still in Harden's tank? This is a problem. After all, he has continuously cut down the explosive data, and he can still stand alone. But this season, he has also been pulled down many times, and his performance is worrying. Especially after Durant was injured, it seemed to be the last straw that crushed his heart. Irving was reluctant to play normally, and Durant's injury greatly reduced the Nets' championship prowess. Harden needs to prove himself more than the two teammates already have championships and historical honors.
32-year-old Harden, is it up to win the championship, or is it falling and collapsing? He will usher in a turning point in his personal career.