Basketball News : I was doing a lot of nothing - Harden on being on Covid protocols

Short-handed and on the verge of a crushing fourth-quarter collapse, the Brooklyn Nets went right at Lakers star LeBron James.

“Until this is over, until we can get our full roster, I think the motto is, ‘find ways to win,’ and we’ve been doing that,” Nets guard James Harden said.

This time, that meant right over James' head.

Nic Claxton threw down a tiebreaking alley-oop over James with 40.7 seconds left, and Harden and the Nets returned from a week-long COVID-19 hiatus to beat Los Angeles 122-115 Saturday night.

Harden had 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The last helper was a lob that Claxton caught with two hands while soaring over James, who had just helped Los Angeles erase a 20-point deficit. Claxton posterized the 17-time All-Star, then made a free throw for a three-point play and a 118-115 lead.

It had been more than two weeks since Harden last played, missing time because of a stint in the NBA's health and safety protocols before the Nets had their past three games postponed because they didn't have enough players.