Only one being is missing… Without Kevin Durant, the Nets continue their slide in the standings. The trip to Sacramento was however the perfect opportunity to revive Steve Nash’s troupe.
But despite the good contributions of Nic Claxton (23 points) or James Johnson (18 points) who took advantage of the lack of intimidation under the circle of the Kings, but also of Sacramento’s desire to focus on the star exteriors of Brooklyn , the Nets failed to hold their advantage.
The New Yorkers however led until the fourth quarter but their last act was catastrophic with a Harden – Irving – Mills trio which no longer put a shot (3/13 in the last act in total) and a totally frozen game against the good defensive intensity of the Kings, who win (112-101) and sink Brooklyn.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Nets press near the circle. The Kings had decided to put a lot of pressure on James Harden and Kyrie Irving and that logically opened up spaces behind them. Nic Claxton and James Johnson took advantage of it, Brooklyn scoring 56 points in the racket (against 40 for Sacramento). This is what allowed them to take control of the match, before the locals finally managed to close access to the circle.
– Alvin Gentry finds impact on his bench. While Brooklyn was up +10 (77-67) in the third quarter and seemed in control, the Kings coach found energy and defense on his bench, with entries from Chimezie Metu and Damian Jones having turns the game around. The coach has also logically decided to keep his interior substitutes until the end, to win this meeting.
– The Kings win the game…on defense. Yes, the 29th defense of the NBA won this game on this side of the field. Davion Mitchell did a lot of work, the whole game, to hinder Kyrie Irving, while Tyrese Haliburton, Chimezie Metu or Moe Harkless weighed in late in the game, in particular to frustrate James Harden.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ The defensive impact of the Kings. Brooklyn’s far too static and predictable play helped, but Sacramento’s defense is noteworthy. Kyrie Irving was thus hampered by Davion Mitchell, who forced him to make great efforts to find his shots, while Moe Harkless, Tyrese Haliburton or Chimezie Metu did a lot of work to control Brooklyn’s other options, and seal their end of meeting.
✅ Nic Claxton. 23 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. The young pivot fought back, taking advantage of the spaces and his size to punish the Kings… at least for three quarters. Because James Harden and the Nets no longer managed to serve him during the end of the game.
⛔ James Harden. Frustrated on the pitch, frustrated at the press conference… We can start to worry about James Harden, who can’t manage to find automatisms with his teammates and who can’t find the target to compensate individually. 4 points at 2/11 in shooting including 0/5 at 3-points and 6 bullet losses. “The Beard” is a good 12 assists but his nonchalance has been the main provider of counterattacks for the Kings, who have scored 21 points on Brooklyn’s ball losses. A stat that is very expensive in the end result.
THE FOLLOWING
Sacramento (19-34): trip to the Warriors tonight, back-to-back
Brooklyn (29-22): the Nets continue their “road trip” to Utah on Friday evening
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
