It was the better of times and the worst of times for the Brooklyn Nets over the weekend, with the borough’s b-ballers wracking up solid offense in 128-119 thrashing over Sacramento on Friday before falling 103-98 to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
From the get-go, Friday evening’s contest against the Kings showcased a team running on all cylinders. Collectively, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez combined for 53 points, with Johnson also dishing in 11 assists and Lopez supplying 12 rebounds. When their fans kept expecting them to allow the Kings to get back into the game, the Nets were able to get stops and come away with the win. As the final buzzer sounded, all of Kings County could breathe a sigh of relief.
Heading into the game on Saturday night against Philadelphia, the Nets actually had an opportunity to win two games in a row. This is something that has become completely foreign to this team as they have continued to struggle since the first game of this season.
Jahlil Okafor, who has played very well in his games against Brooklyn this year stepped up on Saturday for Philadelphia, and they beat the Nets 103-98. After getting off to a rough start, scoring only 12 points in the first quarter, the Nets were never able to acclimate themselves and get back into the game. And this was certainly a loss that stings because the Nets lost to the team that has become the laughing stock of the NBA. The problem for the Nets though, is that right now, they are not that far behind the 76ers. For the majority of the teams in the league, a game against either of these teams means an automatic win.
While these games for Nets fans have not become easy on the eyes, there are still some positive signs for this team. Brook Lopez has been a monster in the middle, all season long. It is quite the challenge to carry a lackluster team on your back and Lopez has taken the challenge and handled it with a lot of class. Also, Thaddeus Young has lived up to a lot of the hype that surrounded him when he was drafted out of Georgia Tech almost a decade ago. Young plays very physical, capitalizes on many offensive opportunities and he brings a positive attitude to a locker room that continues to get defeated.
Tonight, the Nets will host the Denver Nuggets at Barclays Center and then will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday before they head into the All-Star intermission in Toronto.
