The Brooklyn Nets relied on their big three of James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to hit the dagger several times against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, all three of them botched their chances.
Harden was the first Nets star who tried to give his team the win. At the 27.5-second mark of the fourth quarter with the game tied at 113, Harden unleashed his signature step-back 3-pointer but missed.
Irving, in his first game with Harden, then had a chance to end the game in regulation with less than 10 seconds left. But in a strange turn of events, he was slapped with an offensive foul that was later overturned after a review. A jump ball was held at center court with little time remaining, and so the game went directly into overtime.
In the first overtime, Cavs guard Collin Sexton hit a 3-pointer right in front of Irving's face to tie the game at 127. As expected, the Nets went to one of their stars to win the game with 1.2 seconds left. However, Durant failed to drop the contested jumper, sending the game to a second overtime.
In the second overtime, Sexton just took over by hitting several 3-pointers and just annihilating the Nets defense. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn offense continued to rely on their star trio, opting for isolation plays rather than ball movement.
In the end, it was the Cavaliers who spoiled the debut of the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving-James Harden lineup. Yes, the Nets do have star power, but Wednesday's loss to the Cavaliers was a pretty telling sign that they need to put in some work.