Nets' Big 3 ready for rare appearance together vs. Bulls
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash expects Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving to all feature against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, marking just the third time this season that the trio has played together.
"If everything stays the same," Nash told ESPN's Malika Andrews after Friday's practice. "... those three will play tomorrow."
Saturday's contest would be the first time the three stars have played together since Feb. 13 versus the Golden State Warriors.
A litany of injuries has prevented the perennial All-Star threesome from appearing on the court together.
Harden is the latest to return to the fold, with the nine-time All-Star having appeared in one contest following an 18-game absence due to a hamstring injury. A similar ailment also played a factor in Durant missing 37 of the team's 70 games, and Irving has been ruled out on 18 occasions due to personal reasons, a groin issue, and most recently, a facial contusion.
The Nets trinity has appeared in some combination 46 times, including Wednesday's win over the San Antonio Spurs, with Harden and Durant playing together just three times, according to ESPN's Stats and Information.
As such, Brooklyn's starting group has had scant opportunities to forge some form of chemistry despite the All-NBA pedigrees, something first-time bench boss Nash acknowledged ahead of the visit from the Bulls.
"It's been few and far between," Nash admitted. "I don't necessarily have any expectations other than it gives us an opportunity to jell and play together and feel what it's like to be out there again."
Nets veteran Jeff Green echoed his coach's sentiments, telling Andrews, "We're getting to finally try to create a rhythm with all guys healthy. We'll see what happens from there.
"We have a long week to prepare for whomever we play. For those guys, it will be good. For us, it will be good to get a look and see where we are at when everybody is healthy," Green added.
Brooklyn has two matchups left on its regular-season slate and is a game back of the Philadelphia 76ers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and a game up on the third-placed Milwaukee Bucks. Both the 76ers and Bucks own a tiebreaker against the Nets.