Immediately after, he used Aquaman's solid wall of a screen to burst forward, drive into the mid-range area.
He very easily drew three defenders rotating over in help defense, then decisively kicked the ball out to Toppin in the left corner.
Obi Toppin took a three-point shot after catching the ball.
Basketball swished through the net.
The first three-pointer of tonight's game went in.
After making it, Toppin excitedly clenched his fist against his chest, cheering himself on.
Clearly, facing a powerhouse like the Nets right after returning from injury still put some pressure on him.
Especially since he had been subbed out by the Head Coach not long into the first quarter.
So being able to respond on the offensive end and help the team at this moment was an enormous encouragement for him.
The next possession began.
The Nets' offense.
Harden initiated offense from the top of the arc, drove and kicked it out to Kobe Brown on the right side of the basket.
Brown caught the ball but failed to find a good opportunity for a direct finish, so he swiftly turned and found Thomas at the top to move the ball.
Cameron Thomas did not rashly initiate offense after receiving the pass. Instead, he waited for Harden to loop back out, returned possession to him, and let him organize the offense again.
The Nets' transition period lineup still had rather obvious problems.
The smaller Kobe Brown lacked perimeter shooting ability, while Aldama's outside shooting was passable instead...
At the same time, neither Thomas nor O'Neale had much ability to organize offense. Both preferred to finish directly after receiving the ball, at most doing a little secondary handling and facilitating. Expecting them to independently shoulder the task of organizing offense was still unrealistic.
So under these