The Brooklyn Nets played their first game with their new "Big 3" – Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving – on the floor at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Wednesday, but lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 147-135 after two overtimes.

Irving returned after missing several games for personal reasons but apparently he's still in great form. Not only did he score 37 points, he also had three blocks. In fact, Irving, Harden and Durant combined for 96 points, 24 rebounds, 23 assists and seven blocks, exactly the numbers for three players at their level.

However, that did not mean the Nets' offense had no ground for blame. On the contrary, there was not much chemistry among the three. Irving played his usual game but shot efficiently, knocking down 15 of 28 from the field. Durant did not have the best touch but earned 13 free throws (and made 11) by charging the rim over and over again.

Harden was the problematic one. Since he was recently traded to the Nets, he was doing everything he could to prove that he's a good teammate for Durant and Irving, not an outsider vying for power. Nonetheless, he seemed to go too far in that area. In Wednesday's game, Harden only took two field goal attempts (and missed both) in the first half, getting two points via free throws.

No one is criticizing Harden for not working hard, but the problem is a scorer, especially one of Harden's pedigree, needs to find his rhythm before turning on full power offensively. Shooting only two field goals in the first half was not even a warm-up for Harden. Though he still finished with a triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, if Harden had scored more points in either of the first two quarters, the game might have ended differently.

Of course, none of the Big 3 should be held responsible alone for the loss because the Nets' defense was a total disaster on Wednesday. They allowed the Cavaliers to score 64 points in the paint and watched them grab 12 offensive rebounds which were turned into 20 second-chance points. Andrew Drummond, who was traded to the Cavaliers last season for only one second-round draft pick, played like Hakeem Olajuwon in front of DeAndre Jordan in the first half. As a result, the Nets had to close in to protect the paint – which did not work well – allowing more open shots outside. That partly explained how the Cavaliers buried 20 triples at a 50 percent rate.

You could tell coach Steve Nash was working on the Nets' defense. That's probably why he replaced Joe Harris with Jeff Green in the starting lineup, but that move only made Harris very uncomfortable with the bench unit. Nash will have to continue scrambling his brain to find a defensive solution for his team. Allowing 147 points by the league's worst offensive team is absolutely unacceptable for a championship contender.

And then there was Collin Sexton, who scored a career-high 42 points, including 22 in the two OTs. The 22-year-old became the third Cavalier since 2010 to get at least 40 points, five rebounds and five assists while sinking no fewer than five 3-pointers. The first two are LeBron James and Irving.

This is Sexton's third season in the NBA. Though it was not the first time for him to display his incredible scoring ability, many criticized his play in the previous two seasons. Back then, Sexton was considered as a disqualified point guard because he averaged only three assists in his first two seasons.

However, 1.85-meter-tall Sexton is a sheer shooting guard and he was put in that position after the Cavaliers drafted Darius Garland in 2019. Moreover, Sexton was working hard to improve his game. Not only did he put on more muscle, he increased his off-ball play. So far this season, he has only played 18 isolations and nine happened on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Sexton is averaging 1.024 points on screen plays and 1.414 points via spot shooting.

"I kept having confidence in myself and my teammates kept having confidence in me, (saying): 'Those shots are going to fall, don't worry about it, don't press about it.' They kept telling me all the hard work I put in is gonna pay off, so just stay ready. So tonight, I just stayed ready and listened to my teammates and my coaches and just fed off them the entire game," said Sexton after the game.

Other games on Wednesday (away teams come first):

Dallas Mavericks 124-112 Indiana Pacers

Luka Doncic claimed the 30th triple-double in his career by dropping 13 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. It took him only 146 games to do so, the second-fastest in NBA history behind Oscar Robertson (75).

Kristaps Porzingis was the other major contributor to the Mavericks' victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. He's gotten better and better since returning from injury. On Wednesday, Porzingis shot 12-15 for 27 points and 13 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. The Mavericks need him to continue playing like this before the team can get back on the right track.

Boston Celtics 109-117 Philadelphia 76ers

The Celtics signed Tristan Thompson during the offseason trying to enhance their vulnerable paint. Nonetheless, the move didn't work out so well when they had to deal with Joel Embiid at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday. Having played 32 minutes on the floor, Embiid went 12-19 and earned 21 free throws to get 42 points plus 10 rebounds. He dominated the paint and lifted the 76ers to No. 1 in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit Pistons 115-123 Atlanta Hawks

Trae Young has been under a lot of criticism recently for his struggling performance, especially from downtown. At least he can keep his chin up after dropping 38 points and 10 assists at State Farm Arena on Wednesday to help Atlanta win their second game in a row.

Young was not the only Hawk who found his game. John Collins had 31 points and 11 rebounds. Clint Capela put down a big double-double of 27 points and 26 rebounds, which included 12 offensive ones. Capela also delivered five blocks.

Miami Heat 111-102 Toronto Raptors

The Heat ended the Raptors' three-win streak on Wednesday. Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Avery Bradley all sat out for this road game. Therefore, coach Erik Spoelstra gave Kendrick Nunn more time on the floor. Nunn responded to the team's expectations by scoring a game-high 28 points and adding eight rebounds and five assists.

Orlando Magic 97-96 Minnesota Timberwolves

The Magic ended their six-game losing streak at Target Center. The process was quite dramatic. The Timberwolves still led by 10 points in the last half of the fourth quarter. The Magic caught up point by point and narrowed their trail down to two at 00:16. Aaron Gordon missed his open three, leaving the Magic no other choice but to foul. However, Jarred Vanderbilt of the Timberwolves missed both free throws before Cole Anthony caught the rebound, drove his way to the front court and beat the buzzer for the Magic.

Phoenix Suns 109-103 Houston Rockets

Chris Paul, 35, reached another milestone in his career on Wednesday. He scored his 19,000th career point in the second quarter on a three, becoming the 60th player in league history to join the club.

Of course, the Suns also owed this victory to Deandre Ayton, who put down 26 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks. The 22-year-old has been outshined since he entered the NBA with Doncic and Young in 2018, but he definitely has what it takes to be a star player. He should make good use of every minute he shares with Paul on the team.

San Antonio Spurs 99-121 Golden State Warriors

It has been way too long for the Warriors to claim such an easy win. Curry skipped the fourth quarter after getting 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, all game highs. His first-year rookie teammate James Wiseman went 8-11 to get 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. together went 5-9 behind the 3-point line.

Having made four 3-pointers on Wednesday, Curry (2,552) is nine triples away from surpassing Reggie Miller (2,560) on the NBA career 3-point scoring leaders list.

Sacramento Kings 96-115 Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers extended their win streak to five after walking over the Kings again at home. Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 32 points, but his six steal were even more impressive. Paul George had a similar performance as he finished with 19 points and a career-high 12 assists.

The Clippers moved to No. 1 in the Western Conference after this win.