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.