3 observations from Nets’ comeback victory over Knicks
The Brooklyn Nets (41-38) visited the New York Knicks (35-44) on Wednesday night. Brooklyn planned to build upon a win over the Rockets on Tuesday night. New York intended to earn its second consecutive victory. The Nets overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Knicks, 110-98, with a 38-16 pummeling in the game’s decisive quarter.
Kevin Durant contributed 32 points on 22 field goal attempts, along with 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Kyrie Irving scored 24 points on 26 shots, on top of his 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Patty Mills knocked down 5 threes off the Nets’ bench.
RJ Barrett registered 23 points on 27 field goal attempts to go along with 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Alec Burks put up 24 points on 14 shots for New York.
Here are 3 observations from the Brooklyn victory.
Durant and Irving play the entire 2nd half
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played 42 and 43 minutes, respectively, in this affair. The star duo played the entire second half, with Steve Nash shuffling the three guys around them to manage the game.
This game meant something to the Nets, and for obvious reasons. Brooklyn cannot escape the Play-In tournament. But, they can maneuver themselves a bit so that they only have to win 1 game to make it to the playoffs. They’re within 1 game of the Cavaliers for taking over the 7-seed in the East, and can clinch a season series victory over Cleveland with a victory against the Cavs on Friday in Brooklyn.
When it’s a critical game, you can’t ask for a much more potent duo than Durant and Irving. The Nets outscore opponents by 12.4 points per 100 possessions and have an offensive rating of 125.48 in the 420 minutes the two have shared the floor. You have to feel good about your chances, especially when you’re opposing counterpart is the 24th-ranked halfcourt offense in the league. Match fire with more fire.
Durant seals the win with 13 points in the fourth quarter
The Nets trailed by 10 points heading into the final quarter. But, no sweat to Kevin Durant. He scored 13 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter. Not only did Durant pump life into Brooklyn, but he got them back on their feet. When the Nets finally took the lead, Durant sealed the deal with some silky midrange jumpers.
Durant’s ability to shoot over any and everyone should keep the Nets competitive in any playoff series, regardless of how disadvantaged they otherwise are. In fact, you might even argue that they’re the pick to win the East if every game is decided in crunch time. Say what you want about Brookyn’s size and defense, but they have two of the most dynamic shot-creators in basketball. That’s not the end-all-be-all in the playoffs, but shot-creators win series on the offensive side of the court.
The Knicks must stop with the Matthew McConaughey hum from The Wolf of Wall Street
The first order of business when this Knicks season mercifully comes to an end is to get rid of the Matthew McConaughey soundbite from Wolf of Wall Street.
It reeks of a team that is not actually from New York City, but brands itself as from New York City and desperately wants to be thought of as from there. You’re trying way too hard.
The Nets (42-38) will host the Cleveland Cavaliers (43-37) on Friday night. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM, Eastern time. You can watch the game on YES Network.
