Brooklyn Nets quotes: James Harden, Patty Mills, James Johnson on win vs. Magic
Brooklyn had to march on without their leading scorer, Kevin Durant, against the Orlando Magic on Friday. He sat out to rest his shoulder, the same shoulder Durant first injured it in a game against the Chicago Bulls on November 8. In his absence, the Nets took care of business, but barely.
James Harden not only erupted for 36 points, but he simply just did it all for Brooklyn. The 32-year-old matched James Johnson (17 PTS, 10 REBS) on the glass to grab a team-high 10 rebounds and he dished out eight assists in the process. The Nets needed every bit of it too after trailing by 19 in the first half.
After rallying back, Harden, Johnson, Patty Mills and head coach Steve Nash reacted to the victory that put them at the top of the Eastern Conference.
“We had to get dirty and get on our knees — We had to fight through it.”
⁃James Harden on the key to winning this game.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
James Harden says,
“I’m here to win.”
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
Steve Nash says,
“We had a tremendous third quarter that kind of made up for the first.”
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
“Huge effort from him — It was not an easy game for us. We had to find a way to make it happen.”
⁃Steve Nash on James Johnson stepping up.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
“The referees are starting to figure out what’s still a foul — Early it was difficult for them to know where the line was.”
⁃Steve Nash on James Harden finally drawing more foul calls.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
Steve Nash says,
“The offense has to be a project that we stick with — Hopefully it’s a project that can show growth in throughout the year.”
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
“Our defensive communication picked up. Our intensity and our spirit all picked up.”
⁃James Harden on what changed after trailing by 19 points against the Magic.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
“He works his butt off every single day.”
⁃James Harden on Jevon Carter.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
James Harden says,
“Guys stepped up tonight — It was a collective effort, we knew we had guys out so we knew guys had to step up and we had a few of them.”
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
James Harden admits that he could’ve performed better, but he missed some easy shots that he usually makes.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
James Johnson says,
“Orlando is a scrappy team, we knew that — We knew they were going to come out with confidence and we took that punch.”
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
“It shows a lot of character in his leadership.”
⁃James Johnson on James Harden trying to find LaMarcus Aldridge in the fourth quarter.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
“He’s a champion on and off the court.”
⁃James Johnson on Patty Mills.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
James Johnson says,
“I fill in whatever gap — I’m here to serve and to try and win a championship.”
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
James Johnson praises James Harden for being a “maestro” on the court.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
Patty Mills says,
“In that second half we were able to get stops and get deflections — It was affectious across the whole group.”
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
Patty Mills says,
“We’re starting to build that trust through everyone because we are deep. Tonight was an example of it.”
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
“To be able to take advantage of whoever is guarding him.”
⁃Patty Mills on what LaMarcus Aldridge was able to provide this game.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
“Whenever he’s able to get into the paint, great things happen for us.”
⁃Patty Mills on James Harden.
— Ajayi Browne (@ajayibrowne) November 20, 2021
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