” It’s always nice to just focus on the game. Kevin Durant hadn’t had that feeling of “normalcy” with the Nets in a while. That night, he found Kyrie Irving, who was returning from suspension. And found a released Ben Simmons, who reminded the Brooklyn franchise why they had bet on him with this transfer around James Harden.
Brooklyn took advantage of the arrival of the Grizzlies deprived of their three best players (Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.) to sign a second victory in a row, and get closer to a balanced record with a group that will perhaps (finally ) think only of basketball.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– A fatal 10-0 for the Grizzlies. Despite these major absences, the visitors gave the Nets a lot of trouble, turning in the lead at the break (62-57). Led by a possession at the start of the last quarter, they let go after a few minutes in this period. With two 3-point baskets in the corners and an assist after a good cut to the circle from Kyrie Irving, Yuta Watanabe was a key protagonist of this 10-0 (from 104-98 to 114-98) whose Grizzlies do not will not recover.
– The Nets’ small ball. While Nic Claxton was absent for “family reasons”, Jacque Vaughn did not ask any questions by reinjecting Kyrie Irving into his five, with Ben Simmons as pivot. A bet paying off since all of its holders had a very favorable impact on the score and his team did not lose the battle for the rebound, except offensively. Note however that Steven Adams, whose team scored 10 more points in the racket, signed a double-double but struggled to contain Ben Simmons, to whom he left a lot of space.
– Offensive Records. The Nets posted one of their most accomplished offensive performances of the year, marked by a season-high 33 assists, 50 field goals and an excellent 60% shooting, also record, on the together. So many good signals for the future.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Ben Simmons. His best game with the Nets. Complete (22 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists), efficient and aggressive towards the circle and with a desire to push the pace in transition, the Australian signed a match worthy of his finest hours with the 76ers. Even if he lost as many balls as he gave out assists (5), he finished with the best +/- of the match with +19 when he was in play.
✅⛔ Dillon Brooks. We cannot blame him for not having taken his responsibilities to compensate for absences. The back signed his best mark of the season (31 points) but had to shoot a lot to reach it. His exit confirms recurring address problems since the resumption since he has only exceeded 50% success… only three times in 14 games played.
KEVIN DURANT IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF RICK BARRY
By scoring 26 points last night, Kevin Durant equaled… his lowest total of the season! The winger extended his streak by 25 or more points to 17 consecutive games. It’s the longest streak to start a regular season since the one achieved by former Warriors legend Rick Barry in the 1966-67 season. Top scorer in the league that year, he had climbed to 25 games of the genre in a row.
THE FOLLOWING
Nets (8-9) : trip to Philadelphia, Tuesday.
Grizzlies (10-7) : reception of the Kings, Tuesday.
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