The Brooklyn Nets had one more chance to gain momentum going into their season opener versus the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. A youthful Minnesota Timberwolves team, who came into the matchup 3-0 in preseason play, stood in the way.
Fortunately for the Nets, a scorching hot Joe Harris was pumped and ready. He led the way for with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting accuracy from the field on the way to a 107-101 victory. Seven of those shots were threes.
Brooklyn managed to maintain the lead for most of the game. Their largest lead was 16. Kevin Durant (19 PTS, 7 REBS) and Nicolas Claxton (11 PTS, 7 REBS) showed out in the win as well. Thanks to the team’s efficient 46% shooting from the field and 42% accuracy from three, Minnesota failed to keep up.
KD with AUTHORITY đź’¨ pic.twitter.com/uUoztZyrq7
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 15, 2021
Anthony Edwards (23 PTS) had a strong showing for his team on the other side. The Timerberwolves did also cause havoc defensively too, accumulating 15 steals on their way to forcing 19 Brooklyn turnovers. They were almost rewarded for their efforts when found a way to trim the deficit to two with under a minute left. Of course though, it wasn’t enough.
James Harden, who only scored six points in the contest, dished out 14 assists, making it an emphasis to get his teammates in rhythm. It was only right with the regular season around the corner.