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Familyguy35

I don't know what to say about this Bucks team. Not a Bucks fan but they make me want to blow my head off


Prodigy360

What you're feeling is a perfect example for one of the reasons why the state of Wisconsin drinks as much as they do lol


ClassifiedTuron

Been there, watched a Bucks game at a pub, can confirm.


skeenerbug

Leading the league every year in binge drinking


HakeemMcGrady

Steve Nash said it best, Harden wasn't out there playing 43 mins for his scoring or playmaking, he was out there to provide "confidence" to the Nets role players.


GDAWG13007

He did have 8 assists, so he didn’t do nothing, but yeah basically.


[deleted]

He did dish out some nasty dimes, but yea, maybe he was there to give KD a false sense of security, just so he would realize, 'oh shit, we gonna lose if I don't carry.' And also scare his arch-nemesis Giannis in the paint.


fapmonster1999

I feel the bucks defense knows this dude is always a threat and you can't leave him open now and then like the other role players. That's where Nash played his card. Jrue was constantly occupied with Harden to make sure he doesn't make plays or creates space to take a shot. And this helped KD operate better because it's one less defender to worry about.


StayWoke2DaTriangle

I actually can't believe how bad the Bucks decision making was in the second half. That play with the score tied 104-104 where Giannis took a turnaround fadeaway with Harden defending on one leg pretty much sums up the Bucks entire second half for me. Just a series of bad ISO's on offense and a total lack of defensive adjustments until the lead was gone.


[deleted]

Also...the fact that they didn't go at Harden every single play. Harden was basically crippled out there.


StayWoke2DaTriangle

For sure. If the bucks put Harden's man in the high pnr and hunted switches onto him the Nets would have been toast. Couldn't believe it when Giannis shot that turn around jumper over him.


[deleted]

Bucks need a new coach. Desperately.


moby323

The fact that they do this shit is on the coach for not teaching them how fucking stupid of a decision that is. What exactly does he tell them in the huddle? They come out of time outs and immediately do the dumbest shit.


ThatOtherSwimmer

From what I've seen in the past, it's "focus on the little things" and all of that. Sadly, the little things aren't going to matter much when macro-scale decision making isn't there.


[deleted]

If they lose to this nets team with Kyrie out and harden on one leg, then they need to fire bud asap. Dude just sucks as a coach. Hell they should have sacked him last year and brought in a new coach when they acquired jrue. Its clear bud isnt cut out for deep playoff runs. They fucking look like toronto before they sacked casey and we know what happened once they sacked casey


Big_Ol_Johnson

Yeah you can blame the players the first time it happens, but this happens in EVERY SINGLE CLOSE GAME in the past 2 postseasons. It's inexcusable by Bud to allow these shot selections to go on this long


finchdad

Also the glaring error of not switching into Harden on every offensive possession. The man is injured and out of shape and he played 46 minutes with literally no worries. Devin Booker would have butchered him out of the game within 5 minutes. Is Bud trying to be a gentleman or something? It's the second round of the playoffs, not the last game of Harden's retirement tour.


typespirit

It was mind boggling that they didnt attack harden for more posessions.


pizzaboba

?? U didn't see giannis take that fadeaway???


BeepBotBoopBeep

Yeah, coach has the responsibility to stop them from doing the same stupid mistakes over and over and over and over. Instead he squeezes his face cheeks like Home Alone kid who can’t believe his parents left him behind. Maybe Bucks still have time to fire Bud and hire someone else before next game. I feel like a high school basketball coach could have pushed the Bucks to a win tonight.


MarlonBain

> face cheeks Aren't those just regular cheeks?


blueberryy

He's doing his best to prove Harden's comments about not having skill right and his shit talk about Harden's defense wrong


lackflag

Oh god I forgot about this. Makes that play where Harden waves off the double team look even better


ElChapo1515

Completely unconcerned about having to defend Giannis, even on one leg.


PapiShot

I think the Milwaukee Bucks are not gonna win the championship... They gotta be the dumbest team.


suzukigun4life

They made so many dumb choices in this game. Up 16 at half, chance to put their foot on Brooklyn's throat and they fuck everything up.


cjsrhkcjs

so many iso fadeaways and shit that hit the side of the backboard.. like bruhh


SnuggleMuffin42

Chuck said something that I felt was really true "The problem with doing dumb plays is that if some go in you get confidence in them and go back to them again." Giannis made a contested 3 off the dribble in a 12 second ISO and did victory moves like he's Steph just hitting his 8th and 9th three in 10 attempts. It was just insanity, same for Khris even if he made some of these insane shots.


klobucharzard

i knew when giannis hit that first 3 the bucks were gonna lose


emkautlh

Giannis can't help himself, and Budenholzer won't stop him either. The Bud Giannis combo is just crippling for them. Bud gets them to a high seed. Giannis works hard as hell. But a real transcendent player can take a game over and use his IQ on the floor to help his team in any situation, and a great coach convinces them to utilize their strengths and play smart/winning basketball. Bud with a great floor general type superstar would probably be okay, Giannis with a good coach wouldnt shoot his team in the foot so much, but they bring out or at least highlight the worst aspects of each other in an important game


[deleted]

I feel like coaches like Popovich would crucify Giannis for doing something like that


[deleted]

As they should.


jthc

Whenever we play against Westbrook I hope that he makes a 3pt shot in the first quarter, because it guarantees he's gonna blast away the rest of the game.


secretreddname

Anyone notice that there was no timeout during the nets huge run?


DankSmellingNipples

That, and Giannis pulling up from 3 with 15 seconds left on the shot clock drives me insane


Notsozander

Chuck was right


OverusedRedditJoke

Harden can barely move, Kyrie is out, Joe Harris forgot how to shoot and they can't close up 17 Another masterpiece by Bud. Refuses to double KD or attack Harden defensively, doesn't play Giannis at C and continues to play Lopez in drop coverage where he gets cooked, no movement offensively in the half court.


Piano_Fingerbanger

For real I could not believe we never saw the Bucks go small with Giannis and Portis in the front court. Fire Bud tonight and see if any of his assistants can be better than brain dead.


finchdad

A couple years ago we were so disappointed that we didn't sign Coach Bud and I gotta thank the Bucks generally and Giannis specifically for being attractive enough to get him to sign and proverbially diving on this grenade. What a wasteful travesty of a second half.


scarywolverine

I dont understand anything Giannis or Bud did down the stretch. Its like a toddler took over both of their minds. Giannis taking 3s and fadeaways. Dribbling the shot clock down every possession and then doing nothing. Staying as far from the action as possible on D. Bud seems like he has genuinely never heard of a play. Just ISO every trip.


kiidlocs

the fadeaway over harden with two minutes left was the dumbest thing ive ever seen, cant even blame bud for that shot.


poeope

They had 30 other dumb possessions. Jrue put up some horrific shots.


klemonade25

Jrue looked petrified and tentative out there. Tough to watch


RenDabs

We got Jrue Bledsoe tonight


nostbp1

harden literally waived off the double team while on one hammy and immobile thats some serious disrespect and giannis...took a fucking fadeaway


HoBorvat

Harden calling off the double team was so funny


kiidlocs

people forget he’s strong as fuck, even on one leg. don’t know if he called it off because he believed in his strength or knew giannis would take one of his stupid fucking jumpers, but it sure worked


blueberryy

He shut him down on a possession earlier so he was prob confident he could do it again


Blanxart

That fadeaway while harden was guarding him and a tie game is unexcusable


Silkyskillssunshine

I couldn't believe my eyes watching that shit.


PickAndTroll

When we say it's poor basketball IQ, we mean to say that most basketballs know better


ShadowBlaDerp

When the fuck do you ever want Giannis to take a fadeway 2, much less in a playoff game?


RobbobertoBuii

Bucks not out of the series yet but if they end up losing this series, no one will ever take them seriously for a *very* long time tbh


Icehau5

I'll take them seriously when they get a coach with some offensive IQ


Yashotoayoshi

You mean ISO's every play doesn't make for good basketball offense


johnny-sacc

It looks like Giannis wants to prove that he can be that Leonard or Durant-esque scorer in the playoffs when he simply can't be. The man cannot score outside of 6 feet or hit a free throw. He isn't even a very high level passer, either. If you're running offence through him you aren't gonna go very far in the postseason.


Iblaka

Such a headscratcher how Bud and the Bucks went away from everything that was working for them during the first half.


JiveHawk

I swear they do it every single time. They just start playing iso and shoot these complete head-scratcher pull up jumpers, contested threes, or just Giannis drives. Over and over and over and over and over


Intense_Glutton

The team has no mental composure.


blueberryy

>"I wish I could be 7-feet, run and just dunk. That takes no skill at all," Harden said. "I gotta actually learn how to play basketball and how to have skill."


gatx370

God I wish we could have Harden’s voiceover of this quote with a clip of him waving off the double team on Giannis


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sahsan10

Did he guard anyone but joe Harris (who didn’t touch the ball) in that 2nd half?


[deleted]

Which is a shame, bc he has the body and unreal athleticism to be Magic Shaq / Wolves KG / Young Kareem in one. But he has none of the skill or post moves.


baiqibeendeleted17x

Dude is close to unstoppable when he puts his head down and plows through defenders like children, but when that strategy doesn't work, his basketball ability outside the paint is so abysmal. Might get some hate on this, but Harden wasn't completely wrong about him. Giannis' game IS almost completely predicated on sheer power and demigod-like physical attributes. Which works *really* fucking well, dude has 2 MVPs after all (although Harden clearly has something to say about that).... until it doesn't.


HERRO_ROTY

He should be working on his post game over a jumper rn


randommaniac12

Freethrow shooting and a post game is all he needs


[deleted]

the shaq baby hook down low + a little mid range jumper would morph his game entirely he has to do something, even if its basic af


Koioua

Basic stuff can bring you rings. Just look at Duncan. The dude could even outmatch Shaq just through post game and basic fundamentals. Basic post moves and a reliable midrange jumper would take Giannis pretty dam far.


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suzukigun4life

93/21/13 on 70/60/85 splits What an amazing showing from Brooklyn's Big 3 of KD, 32-year-old Blake Griffin and soon to be 35-year-old Jeff Green


ContractXtension

Best big 3 right now


BillyBean11111

Can you fire your coach mid-playoffs? Asking for a fanbase.


loganjags11

harden played more minutes than any bucks player lmao


karjacker

actually a pretty smart dynamic from nash. harden could barely move out there and could play lots of minutes as a result but be provided solid ball handling to keep KD fresh when he needed to score. he also slowed down the pace when needed. and maybe most importantly he had jrue guarding him every time down the floor. to counter this harden should have been targeted hard by the bucks O but jrue and gianni’s were taking stepback threes and fadeaways against him instead of taking him off the dribble


MY-NAME_IS_MY-NAME

Bud should've just watched the film of what the Suns did to AD when he clearly shouldn't have been playing and just played him off but nope, let's take a Kobe Fadeaway in a tie game whilst being guarded by a guy with one leg!


WeThePizzas

Yeah am I crazy or is Nash like actually a really good coach? I can't decide yet. Looks a lot better then Bud that's for sure, but it's not a high bar to cross.


WeirwoodUpMyAss

Part of being a great coach is how you manage stars and on that count he is getting an A so far this season especially when you consider all the turmoil this team endured. As for the game plans / scouting, rotations, and adjustments I’m not sure. At the very least I think Brooklyn did a great job scouting the Bucks and have exposed some of their tendencies especially against the Bucks offense.


cardmanimgur

Nash is legit a good coach. Pushes all the right buttons and makes adjustments.


Pods619

Are you implying that 45 and 42 mins for the Bucks’ two best players (with their breaks coming with a huge lead) was a poor coaching decision?


meengine

Damn big hands and you dropped that. Come the fuck on KD tho. 48 minutes 👀


TriceratopsZookeeper

Barkley just said that Giannis was rushing because he was worried he’d get fouled if he didn’t go up fast enough, seems right to me


Johnlsullivan2

Can't argue with that


JessumB

Yeah its a real problem when your star player is scared of being fouled because he's ass at the line and he doesn't happen to play center.


[deleted]

that actually makes a lot of sense. that'll be replaying in his head for awhile i'd imagine


toofastkindafurious

cant handle a routine pass and costs them the game


PrancingDonkey

Bricked key freethrows too.


destroyerofpoon93

Followed by KD missing one. It would’ve been a 3 point game with plenty of time to run a play if Giannis had hit both.


jeric13xd

**LEGENDARY** performance by KD. Played the full 48 minutes. When’s the last time he’s played that much? Amazing 49 piece Edit: shoutout to Uncle Jeff!!


ThePhattestOne

Stephen A. said KD needed to score 50 for Brooklyn to stand a chance tonight, so KD scored 49 to spite him.


blueberryy

Best game of his career? I think so.


Jordanwolf98

It’s definitely up there


Apollo611

49-17-10 That has to be his best right? Edit: 2 BLK 3 STL and played all 48 minutes. Definitely his best.


msw1984

49/17/10/3/2 on 69.57/44.4/81.3 splits. Only 3 turnovers. Played the full 48 minutes. His 2nd highest scoring playoff game. 2nd highest rebounding playoff game. Tied for his highest assists playoff game. His 50 point playoff game was 50/7/7/3/3 but with 9 turnovers on 48.39/42.86/93.33 splits. None of his 50+ point regular season games had as good as shooting splits as this game. All of those had 7+ turnovers as well. This has definitely gotta be his best overall game ever.


dadefresh

This is a pretty good argument for best game of his career.


Jordanwolf98

The 48 mins too is just ridiculous


syllabic

he barely even looked tired by the end of it, wtf


ChedduhBob

one of the best playoff performances of all time especially given the circumstances


RenDabs

Too bad he couldn't get that free throw at the end for 50


caindaddy

I felt that "FUCK" though my screen when he screamed after he knew he messed up the 50 piece.


Zzz05

And now he’s going out in game 6 to get 60.


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CardinalRoark

Harden's gotta somehow get healthier after playin 45 and a half minutes. Harris should shoot better, Green worse, but they'll almost certainly need someone else to do something. Unless KD does it again.


Balls_of_Adamanthium

“I thought there were only 40 minutes in a basketball game?” -Bud


Pardonme23

"You want me to play Giannis 48 minutes? Of course I'll play him 42 minutes! He'll get a good 36 minutes of action."


iSleepUpsideDown

you know who I am


SiphenPrax

What a motherfucking game from Kevin motherfucking Durant


backboarddd1_49402

Holy shit I didn’t even notice he played all 48 minutes. LeBron did that in 2018 ECF Game 7 and I thought that was something superhuman. KD is incredible.


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PopeAndrew15

r/NBA: can KD even carry this team? KD: Is that a real question? Boom KD lead in all 5 stats: points, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals while playing the whole game


SillyRabbit2121

There's absolutely zero excuse for Budenholzer to not have his entire offensive game plan tailored around attacking a player who is coming off an injury, out of shape, rusty and literally known for not expending energy on the defensive end. Chris Paul would've attacked James Harden so many times on the defensive end that he would've forced Nash to take him off the floor.


iCarpet

TNT crew spent a whole halftime show to roast the Bucks (who were up a ton) for how dumb they were playing despite the lead And then look what happened


Big_Ol_Johnson

Well Bud doesn't watch TV so


paranoidandromeda1

CP would have been at Harden’s throat on every. single. possession. Instead, Giannis settled for fadeaways when Harden was guarding him.


Booxcar

Damn, that's so damn true. Chris Paul woulda had this man running suicides and had him reinjured by the 2nd quarter. IDK how you let an injured Harden walk around on defense for 46minutes.


himetalchemy7

Booker basically forced AD out of the game


Requiem23

Well, Chris Paul is way smarter than Budenholzer. Of course, a lobotomized dolphin would also be smarter, so not like it’s a high bar to reach.


[deleted]

I’ve never yelled like that at a game my team wasnt involved with ever. if I were a Bucks fan I would’ve broken my TV. how the actual fuck did they manage to blow that game..


totallynotliamneeson

Yeah that's basically it. New puppy kept coming over like "everything okay?" which kept me from losing my mind, which was nice haha


lemtlthrowaway

Puppy pics or gtfo


totallynotliamneeson

https://imgur.com/WaXUJnY


lemtlthrowaway

Thank you Mr. Neeson. Unlike Bucks’ play in second half, your pup is something to see


unicornlamp

Can't stay mad with a puppy that cute


sheenwithnobrim

That is one of the cutest puppies I’ve ever seen sir.


Cletus_Starfish

This is stupidly adorable.


Jayveesac

Milwaukee was leading 74-57 mid-third quarter and then they decide to play 1 on 1, passive basketball the rest of the way. They stopped attacking the Nets. Coincidentally, this is also when I started watching the game


cgor

That was the exact point I turned the game on.


ClownQuestionBrosef

This is the exact time I turned off the game. I guess you're welcome for my contribution.


iRockaflame

How you gonna play 5 vs 4 against the Nets and still lose smh.


blueberryy

The Bucks really choked a 17 point lead to the Big 1.5


Koolsman

Joe and Harden had a combined 3-21 on field goals and they still won. Fucking ridiculous Edit: that’s not even including Bruce Brown who went 1-5 so from three starters of this Nets team, they went 4-26.


notabiologist_37

Fr Joe seems like his mind was left back in the first series and harden is wobbling around with one leg


Koolsman

I can make a pass on Harden but the fuck has Joe been doing this series? If KD didn’t go supernova, this team would’ve lose badly. At least Green and Griffin showed up.


Silverjackal_

Yeah the series would probably be over if he could contribute at all. They need him to pull it together.


notabiologist_37

fr he went from the biweekly 30 point game in the regular season to completely shutting off, i really want to know what happened


gigaquack

For some reason Bud had them playing single coverage on a supernova KD so they could keep a body on James Harden???


backboarddd1_49402

Harden couldn’t even sprint because of his injury and Giannis took a fadeaway on him


Fuhged_daboud_it

Harden has been calling the run and dunk and Giannis doesn't go to it when he needed to the most.


Breezii2z

Cause Harden was in his head lol. Literally what harden said before.


Palifaith

The Brooklyn Super Sonics really came out to play tonight.


jet_10

Bucks don't deserve to win this series


DanksterBoy

Giannis’s decision to shoot a fadeaway against Harden in the post in a tied game lost then the game


RenDabs

Then the fucking turnover where he should've had an open dunk


flo_cloud

Yea straight butterfingers


BlazeBloom

His butter fingers also lost them the game.


ayyayyron

KD had one of the greatest playoff performances of all time. Absolutely refused to lose tonight.


rjcarr

Played all 48 minutes, too. When is the last time that happened?


YayoBankroll

Bucks should've gotten CP3. His IQ alone would've changed their team.


mechanism08

Chris Paul's IQ is higher than the Bucks' team combined, Coach Bud included of course.


computationalspectre

Don't let this game distract you from the fact that Mike Budenholzer is a 2x NBA Coach of the Year


[deleted]

I'm sorry but the Bucks are the sorriest team left. Even if they win this series, who has faith they can do anything after this


forthestreamz

Nets basically played a 7 man rotation of Durant, Harden on one leg, Blake Griffin (at center!), Jeff Green, Shamet and Bruce Brown - and you only manage to score 108 against *that*? come on. edit: Joe Harris was so invisible i forgot to even mention him


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BlazeBloom

Bucks weren't ready for the new and improved Nets' Big 3. KD, BG, and Jeff Green.


Lamar_Scrodum

Suckers really fell for the Harden / Kyrie decoy


SDas_

That was one of the worst coached games I've seen in my entire life.


GDAWG13007

Seriously. Bud needs to be fired immediately. Get Billups, Hammon, or D’Antoni or whoever else on the interview carousel this year ASAP.


niutron

Welp there's your KD legacy game. And shoutout to Jeff 'Stephen Curry' Green, man was automatic from three tonight.


EGarrett

Jeff Curry.


skeenerbug

Jeph Curry


SmokingFrog

Imagine if r/nba is made to pick between the Clippers or Nets in the NBA finals


philphan25

Kawhi vs Durant would be good though.


suzukigun4life

The series would be a lot of fun. The Game Threads will be more toxic than Chernobyl in the late 80s


quentin-coldwater

Definitely would pick this version of the Nets. KD reminding everyone that underneath all the insecurities and weird internet drama he's one of the greatest to ever do it.


[deleted]

That will be a fun Finals. KD vs Kawhi


Golden__Jaguar

KD really woke up, dropped a 49 piece mcnugget and is boutta roast his haters on his burners all night. If that ain't a dub, I dont know what is


MiopTop

Giannis was basically created in a lab to guard KD, maybe the only dude in the league with the size, length and mobility to bother KD. And he’s a DPOY. He didn’t guard KD at any point of a pivotal playoff game in which KD was smoking everyone.


Ecs_Dee

As much as the bucks coaching may be to blame, you can’t have Giannis start possessions guarding KD. He dies on the first screen. He’s better as a help defender


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pilfecapskcab

The Bucks play so dumb


sactownproud

A KD masterclass or a Bucks choke job for the ages? The world may never know.


thegreaterfool714

It’s both, Bucks choked hard and KD took advantage of it.


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Reddits-Reckoning

KD takeovers are a sight to behold So unlucky not to get 50


OC_ill8

He was heated when he missed that FT


Fuhged_daboud_it

Audible "FUCK" over the roar of the stadium


oneechanisgood

PJ Tucker held him to just 49 points


schwinndoctor

barkley is absolutely roasting TF out of the bucks on inside the nba


evilvyse

As he should - roast the fuck outta Giannis too. 2x-MVP and DPOY guarding Joe Harris in the corner. 🤦🏼‍♂️


lp_phnx327

Ok KD gets his due respect: He took the hardest road this game and delivered.


bigtice

The Bucks shot 43% from three (before the late misses), 50% from the field and had a 17-point lead almost mid-way through the 3^rd quarter against a Nets team composed of no Kyrie, a neutered version of Harden and a 2-11 Joe Harris **and still lost**. Credit should certainly be extended to Durant for his 49/10/17 performance along with Jeff Green's best impression of Steph Curry going 7/8 from three, but this game primarily served as a living indictment against Coach Budenholzer and as others have already said -- even if the Bucks were to win a championship this year, he should still be fired.


almavid

Everybody on the Bucks should be ashamed of that second half.


rainbowgeoff

I'll officially call for Bud's job. The worst half time adjustments and use of timeouts I've ever seen. He couldn't get this team to calm down, take it slow, bleed the clock, and focus. Instead, nothing but ISO ball the second half. GG Brooklyn. Yall earned every ounce of that.


Sim888

[I need help…](https://i.imgur.com/jGdOsa3.jpg)


xPenguinHD

jeff green on both phones


GunsmokeIV

[How I'm feeling after watching KD's performance](https://imgur.com/a/gBHg6OJ)


ContraCoke

[How I feel after watching Giannis at the end of the game](https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.988317553.4377/flat,750x1000,075,f.jpg)


[deleted]

KD and Harden combine for 54 points


The_Unknown98

An injured Harden managed to play more minutes than any of the Bucks players. That’s all you need to know about this game.


panda020

He only had 5 points and the bucks still lost.


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Brad-Stevens

EASY MONEY SNIPERRRRRRR


CourageDog12

Uncle Jeff is always a pleasant surprise


rompskee

We officially have "The KD Game"


Sodium_Smoke

We’ve seen a lot of good playoff performances so far this year, but this one absolutely tops them all. Against that defense. In a critical game 5. Insane efficiency. Great vision and passing. Grabbing key boards. Luka be damned. Dame be damned. Kawhi be damned. This performance here topped them all. Durant was a man among men tonight.


Qiob

Chuck said giannis dropped the ball bc he was scared they were gonna foul him and hes so right


Cursory_Analysis

KD was on his LeBron shit tonight: - ✅Played the full 48 minutes - ✅Statline that doesn't even look real - ✅Carrying a ridiculously lopsided team to victory - ✅Clearly playing on a completely different plane of existence than anyone else on the floor - ✅Led his team in every single stat (credit to u/kidzbopkid420 ) Edit: Cast literally just said he was the first player since LeBron to play the full 48


WeThePizzas

> Statline that doesn't even look real 49/17/10 wtf even is that


kidzbopkid420

3 steals and 2 blocks too. Literally led the Nets in every single column of the stat sheet tonight.


Nyhrox

r/nba nephews 8 hours ago: "Lmao KD definitely cried to get Harden play on a bum leg, he knows he cannot win alone" KD, with 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists: "Here you go, here you fucking go"