Brooklyn Nets Weekly: Scoring At Will
Season Record: 13-8
Week Record: 3-0
Player of the Week: James Harden - 25.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 11.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 2.3 TOPG, 56.8 FG%, 55.0 3P%, 88.2 FT%
Best Individual Performance: James Harden - 31 Points, 8 rebounds, 15 assists, 2 steals in 132-128 OT win against the Atlanta Hawks (accounted for 20 total points [9 points and 5 assists] in the 4th quarter)
SUMMARY
It was a nice week for the Brooklyn Nets as they won all three of their games, two of which were on the road. The Big 3 started to look like they’re clicking, and we even got to see Harden and Kyrie Irving effectively operate sans Kevin Durant in a win to end the week.
The Nets opened the week with an ugly, yet impressive performance versus the Miami Heat. The game started as ugly it could get with the Nets only making 4 total field goals in the quarter. Fortunately, the defense did its part, holding Miami to 21 1st quarter points. Things only got better from there as Brooklyn outscored Miami in the remaining 3 quarters. The offense struggled, shooting 40.0% from the field as a team (28.9% from three), but the defense clamped down as needed. For the 1st time since the opening win versus the Golden State Warriors, the Nets didn’t allow their opponent to score 30 or more points in any quarter. It truthfully was a rough shooting night for both teams, but it was a good sign for the Nets’ defense.
The defense wasn’t nearly as stingy in the next game against the Atlanta Hawks. The teams were tied at 55 apiece at half time, even with Brooklyn shooting nearly 7% better from the field. Shockingly enough, it wasn’t Trae Young keeping Atlanta afloat. Instead, it was the young wing duo of De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish leading the way with 15 and 14 points, respectively at halftime. The Nets went to another overtime as the two teams failed to create separation, despite Atlanta going up by 7 early in the 4th. After a back-and-forth OT period, the Nets were able to put the game away as Kevin Durant made the 2nd of 2 free throws to put Brooklyn up 4 points. It wasn’t the greatest defensive effort from the Nets, allowing the Hawks to shoot 47.9% from the field and get to the line 28 times, but it was enough to allow the potent offense to win the game.
Game 3 of the week against the Oklahoma City Thunder felt like a make-or-break game for the Harden-Kyrie pairing as Durant was ruled out of the contest. Things got off to a great start as the duo combined for 14 points and 5 assists in the 1st quarter. It was a solid 1st quarter effort as eight players scored for a total of 36 points, good for a 9-point lead. Brooklyn played minimal defense in 2nd, allowing 30 points from OKC. However, the offense was clicking on all cylinders as Brooklyn scored 40 points in the quarter, making 15 of their 26 shots and 7 of their 13 threes. They headed into the 2nd half with a 76-59 lead and didn’t look back. The sustained lead allowed Steve Nash to play with the rotations a bit, giving more 2nd half minutes to Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Reggie Perry, two young role players that may be relied upon more as the season goes. We also got to finally see Landry Shamet shoot with confidence again as he scored 11 points off the bench, going 3-7 from three.
Overall, it was a great week for the Nets. They handled all three of their opponents differently while allowing Durant to rest for 3 days before Sundays matchup against the Washington Wizards.
NEXT UP
@ Washington Wizards 1/31/21
vs Los Angeles Clippers 2/2/21
vs Toronto Raptors 2/5/21
@ Philadelphia 76ers 2/6/21