James Harden defers in first game with Kyrie Irving as Cavs top new-look Nets in 2 OTs

Wednesday provided a first look at the new-look Brooklyn Nets with the return of the Kyrie Irving after a seven-game absence.

As expected, this is a work in progress. The Nets rallied from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to force overtime only to lose, 147-135 in double overtime.

The Nets started strong, hitting their first 10 field goals while running out to a 23-15 lead. The Cavs took control from there en route to an 87-73 lead before the Nets made a late charge to force the extra sessions.

But the biggest question of the night didn’t concern the outcome of the game. It was over how an offense with three elite scorers in Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden would operate together. On Wednesday, Harden was the odd man out in the scoring column.

After scoring 30-plus point in each of his first two games with Brooklyn including a triple-double in his debut, Harden was limited to 19 points in his first game alongside Irving. He did fill up the box score, posting a triple-double with 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Harden didn’t shoot his first field-goal attempt until early in the second quarter. He didn’t score his first points until a pair of free throws in the final minute of the first half. He didn’t score his first bucket from the field until a 3-pointer early in the third quarter. He didn’t score in the second overtime session. He looked very little like the NBA’s three-time scoring champ for much of the game.

Irving, meanwhile, came out of the gates from his hiatus red-hot, hitting eight of his first 10 field goal attempts in a 17 first half. He finished with 37 points, three assists and two rebounds while shooting 13 of 23 from the field.

Durant, meanwhile, led the way for Brooklyn with 38 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists while largely playing off the ball. His role in the new lineup promises to require the least adjustment.

Harden’s lack of scoring wasn’t a result of not having the ball. He frequently dribbled the ball over halfcourt and initiated the offense. But he seemed satisfied to act as a facilitator while Durant and Irving carried the scoring load.

Problems that plagued the Nets prior to the new lineup — defense and turnovers — reared their heads against the Cavs.

This, of course, is just one game. The Nets are supremely talented and will make adjustments as they learn to play together. What happens in the playoffs will be the true gauge of the Brooklyn experiment.

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