Brooklyn Nets Weekly: Things Are Looking Up
Season Record: 8-6
Week Record: 3-1
Player of the Week: Sean Marks - Put together a Big 3 in an era of Dynamic Duos
Best Individual Performance: Kevin Durant - 42 Points, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks in 122-115 W versus the Orlando Magic (14 points and 6-7 from the field in the 4th quarter)
SUMMARY
The week seemed doomed for the Nets after a shaky 3rd week. They began the week with a 13-point home loss to the “tanking” Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nets get off to a good start, scoring 41 1st quarter points to OKC’s 29. Even after a rough 2nd quarter, the Nets were up 6 points. The 3rd quarter is where things really went south, as OKC outscored the Nets 37-18 and headed into the 4th with a 13-point lead. Though the Nets were able to put 35 points on the board in the final quarter, the shaky defense allowed just as many points (35) to lose 116-129. The team was now, once again, under .500 and was prepping to host a game versus the Denver Nuggets.
The team seemed desperate for the return of PG Kyrie Irving, up until Kevin Durant showed out versus the Nuggets with an impressive 13 assists. In the 1st half, the defense looked horrible. The Nuggets scored 35 points in both quarters while shooting 50% from the field and from three with just 5 turnovers to the Nets’ 11. The bright spots of the 1st half were Durant’s passing (8 assists) and Caris LeVert’s scoring (18 points on 7-11 shooting). After trailing by 16 at the half, the Nets finally “clamped up”, holding the Nuggets to 20 points on 42.9% shooting. They managed to take the lead with about 5 minutes left in the 3rd, and eventually headed into the 4th with a tied game. This 4th quarter is probably the most impressive, well-balanced Nets’ quarter thus far this season. The team put up 32 points between eight scorers with no one scoring over 6 points. It was a tale of two halves as the Nuggets went from 70 in the 1st half to just 46 in the 2nd half.
The Nets were now heading into MSG to face their in-state rival the New York Knicks. Little did we know, Sean Marks had other things in mind prior to the game. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Nets announced that they landed former MVP and 3x Scoring Champ, James Harden. At first glance at the deal, I was a bit hurt. I didn’t want to part ways with Jarrett Allen, of all players. I felt as though he was a great big man to have next to Durant and Irving. And having him in rotation with DeAndre Jordan meant we had consistent rebounding, rim-protecting, and rim-running for nearly 48 minutes a game. And though LeVert was playing very well in his role, I understood that the Nets would likely deal him away for a more trustworthy performer. However, I didn’t see this coming, not after Spencer Dinwiddie went down.
The Nets now easily have the best Big 3 in the league, yet that didn’t matter for this matchup against the Knicks. With the trade being announced before the game, the Nets played without Irving, LeVert, Allen, Taurean Prince, and Rodions Kurucs (four of their main rotational players). Luckily, the team rallied together for the win as seven of the nine players that played scored in double figures (led by Durant’s 26). The Nets received impressive performances from guys you wouldn’t expect big games from Bruce Brown had 15 points and 14 rebounds as a 6’4” guard & Reggie Perry went for 11 points and 5 boards with 5-7 shooting from the field.
The Nets capped off the week with Harden’s Nets debut in a matchup versus the Orlando Magic. Though he struggled from three (3-10) and with turnovers (9), Harden impressed in his debut with a 32-point triple-double (12 rebounds, and 14 assists) with 24 of those points coming in the 2nd half. It was a great start to Harden’s time with Brooklyn as it helped result in a win. Though the defense had some lapses here and there, the team was able to get enough stops to win the game despite 19 turnovers. Durant led the way with his 1st 40-point night as a Net. He had an “easy” 42 points on 16-26 shooting and only 5 free throw makes/attempts.
The Nets now stand at 8-6 with Irving, hopefully, returning to the team. Now led by a 3-headed monster, the role players have more defined roles each night, especially shooters like Joe Harris and Landry Shamet. Steve Nash can finally begin to envision his offensive and defensive schemes. I must commend him for how he’s handled the uncertainty this early in the season. Things are looking up for the Nets after this Sean Marks deal. The only thing the team seems to be missing is frontcourt depth. Behind Jeff Green and DeAndre is just a rookie Perry and an injured, unproven Nicolas Claxton. Don’t be surprised if the Nets add a veteran big man or two from free agency.
NEXT UP
vs Milwaukee Bucks 1/18/21
@ Cleveland Cavaliers 1/20/21
@ Cleveland Cavaliers 1/22/21
vs Miami Heat 1/23/21