PRETTY NICE START

James Harden has a triple-double in his debut with the Nets, who beat Magic.

James Harden and Kevin Durant needed a little while to remember how to play together again.

Once they did, the Brooklyn Nets really got rolling — and they might still get to another gear when Kyrie Irving rejoins them.

“The sooner we can be on the court together, it’s going to be scary hours,” Harden said.

They look pretty fearsome already.

Harden delivered 32 points and a triple-double in his Brooklyn debut, Durant scored a season-high 42 points in his first game back with his former teammate, and the Nets showed off their potent potential in a 122-115 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Saturday night.

Harden had 14 assists and 12 rebounds after being cleared to play earlier in the afternoon after all the players in the blockbuster trade that brought him from Houston had completed their physicals. Harden also had nine turnovers and Durant had six, with some sloppiness while Harden got used to his new teammates.

“Early on I felt like we all were overpassing, trying to make everybody comfortable,” Durant said, “and then he just got into his mode of being aggressive to score and that opened up the whole game for others.”

Harden had no practice time with the Nets and sure didn’t need it, becoming the first player in franchise history to have a triple-double in his debut.

Durant made five 3-pointers in his 10th game back following an 18-month layoff after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals. He hiked his average to 30.7 points, which would be his highest since he scored a league-leading 32 per game and won NBA MVP honors for Oklahoma City in 2014.

That was a couple years after he and Harden helped lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals and their new pairing could have similar possibilities. The Nets might still reach another level when they get back Irving, who missed his sixth straight game after leaving the team last week for personal reasons.

Nikola Vucevic had 34 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the short-handed Magic, who lost their fifth straight.

Grizzlies 106, 76ers 104: Ja Morant returned to the Memphis lineup after missing eight games with an ankle injury and scored 17 points, leading the host Grizzlies over Philadelphia. Morant, who sprained his left ankle Dec. 28 at Brooklyn, added six assists as the Grizzlies won their fourth straight game.

Trail Blazers 112, Hawks 106: Damian Lillard scored 36 points to go along with seven reounds and seven assists as host Portland rallied from 15 down to beat Atlanta. Portland’s CJ Mccollum scored 16 points before hurting his foot and leaving the game.

Spurs 103, Rockets 91: Demar Derozan scored 24 points, Dejounte Murray had 18 points and 10 rebounds and host San Antonio beat undermanned Houston to snap a four-game home losing streak. Coming off a victory Thursday night in San Antonio, Houston was on the brink of not having eight players available as required by the league, but met the minimum in the final hour.

Raptors 116, Hornets 113: Chris Boucher, Kyle Lowry and Fred Van Fleet converted eight straight free throws in the final two minutes, helping Toronto beat Charlotte in Tampa, Fla., for its first winning streak of the season. Norman Powell led the Raptors with 24 points, and Boucher added 20 points and nine rebounds.

Pistons 120, Heat 100: Detroit had its most dominant quarter in nearly two years and the team with the worst record sent host Miami to a third consecutive loss. Jerami Grant scored 24 points, Derrick Rose had 23 off the bench and the Pistons outscored the Heat 38-19 in the third quarter to turn a four-point halftime deficit into a game fully under Pistons control.

Notable

Caris Levert’s debut with the Indiana Pacers has been put on hold indefinitely after an MRI revealed a small mass on his left kidney.