Player grades: Mikal Bridges scores 22 as Nets beat Magic 101-84
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Orlando Magic at Barclays Center on Friday for the final matchup between the teams and won 101-84. The Brooklyn Nets win the regular-season series 2-1.
For the Nets, Mikal Bridges had 22 points and five rebounds while Cam Johnson had 18 points and four steals. Nic Claxton had 14 points and Seth Curry had 13 points.
For the Magic, Cole Anthony had 14 points and nine rebounds while Goga Bitadze had 12 points and 15 rebounds. Franz Wagner had 12 points and Kevon Harris had 12 points.
In the first half, both teams started off struggling on the offensive end as neither team had much success shooting the three. Orlando was able to get to the rim at will as Brooklyn failed to provide any resistance in the paint. In the second quarter, the Nets were able to pull away thanks to Orlando shooting a frigid 23.8% from the field.
In the second half, things slowed down significantly for both teams as it seemed like both squads were waiting for the game to end. The Magic did play harder than the Nets in the second half as it looked like Brooklyn was going through the motions. In the end, this game was a footnote to the Nets finally clinching the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Here are your Nets player grades:
Spencer Dinwiddie: B
Dinwiddie had a rough time shooting the ball in this one. He wasn’t able to get anything going from anywhere on the court and he had an especially hard time finishing at the rim. Despite the poor shooting, he did a great job of rebounding the basketball and he was awesome passing the ball again. Dinwiddie has entered a nice rhythm of when to pass and when to shoot and he seems to find the open man every time.
Mikal Bridges: D
Bridges struggled mightily with shooting the ball. This is his fourth straight game of poor shooting and it’s possible that fatigue could be setting in after having so much on his plate. Bridges was awful from three-point land, but he did a good job of getting to the free-throw line. Bridges did a good job of rebounding the basketball and helping to box out the bigs of the Magic.
Cam Johnson: B+
Johnson did a good job of scoring the ball against the Magic. His three-point shooting was off, but he was able to get to the rim on a few occasions and have some strong finishes at the basket. He did a good job of getting on the glass and he was great on the defensive end as he had active hands all game long.
Dorian Finney-Smith: C
Finney-Smith did not play as much in this one as the rest of the starters as it seemed like Jacque Vaughn was trying to protect his wrist. Finney-Smith did not do much in this contest, but he wasn’t a detriment in any single area. Rest is probably what he needs to be ready for the playoffs.
Nic Claxton: A
Claxton did a great job of scoring the basketball in this game. He was doing his usual finishing at the rim and he was unstoppable whenever he was catching lobs. Claxton did a wonderful job of rebounding the basketball as he held a strong presence in the paint on both ends of the floor. He did a little bit of everything in this game as he showed his defensive prowess once again.
Joe Harris: D
Harris did not shoot the ball well in this contest and because of that, he played just 13 minutes in the game. Harris’ outside shooting as not needed in this one as Brooklyn broke the game open in the second quarter and did not look back.
Royce O'Neale: C-
O’Neale had a miserable night shooting the ball as he couldn’t get anything to drop. One of the team’s best three-point shooters, O’Neale was unable to get anything going from the three-point line. He did everything else in the contest as he displayed his ball-handling and passing ability as a second ball-handler.
Day'Ron Sharpe: C
Sharpe played only 10 minutes in this one, but he made those minutes count. He made both of his shot attempts, but he still showed some issues with handling the basketball in traffic.
Edmond Sumner: C-
Sumner played just six minutes in this one as Jacque Vaughn turned to O’Neale and Curry for production off the bench. During his time on the floor, he was able to get to the free-throw line with his quick-driving ability and he did a decent job of rebounding the basketball amidst the trees.
Seth Curry: A
Curry did a great job of scoring the basketball against the Magic. His three-point shot was on in this one as he had two separate four-point plays. Curry looked fresh and he provided some extra value as an additional ball-handler which may be needed in the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers.
