Nets vs. Clippers: 3 things we learned from Brooklyn’s big national TV win
Not only did the Brooklyn Nets desperately needed to bounce back from Sunday’s loss on Tuesday, they were also expected to do so on the national stage against Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The Los Angeles Clippers made the Nets work for the win, but Brooklyn still walked away the victor in the 124-120 finish. Brooklyn’s big three is now 4-1 as a trio.
Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 39 points. Kevin Durant finished with 28 and James Harden had 23 to go with his 14 assists and 10 boards. Altogether, Brooklyn’s big three accounted for 72.5% of the Nets’ 124 points (90). Joe Harris (13 points) was the only other Nets player to finish in double figures.
Here are three things we learned from the Nets’ win:
The Nets made a point to respond from Sunday's loss -- on both ends of the floor
Credit: Brad Penner - USA TODAY Sports
The Nets weren't going to resolve all of their issues on the defensive end after Sunday's game. But, Brooklyn needed to show they could at least bounce back from their rough showing against Washington. The Nets did that on the defensive end and still played well offensively, not allowing the Clippers' strong shooting early impact them. Now Brooklyn needs to find a way to build off what they did on Tuesday.
There's something to the Jeff Green experiment
Credit: Brad Penner - USA TODAY Sports
Serge Ibaka isn't the player he used to be, but he's still an athletic big. Jarrett Allen used to handle those guys, not DeAndre Jordan. Rolling with the smaller lineup might not be realistic every night, but the Nets should consider it more often given how it works against the Clippers.
Kyrie Irving can still take over
Durant may be Brooklyn's best scorer and Harden does a little bit of everything on the offensive end, but Irving knows how to impact a game late as well as anyone. Ten points in an air-tight fourth quarter to finish with a game-high 39 points on 15-for-25 shooting (6-for-8 from deep). Like Durant (5-for-5) and Harden (8-for-8), Irving was also perfect at the free-throw line. Huge night for Irving on the big stage. Doesn't matter if he's Brooklyn's third-best player now, Irving is still very comfortable being "the guy" late.
