The Brooklyn Nets keep winning on the shoulders of their guards D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie, and this time it was a 114-110 victory over the Orlando Magic who visited Barclays Center last night.
Once again the Nets(26-23) continue to show the rest of the NBA they are no fluke as they move up the standings in the Eastern Conference. Once considered a lottery team the Nets are now 18-5 since Dec 7, which is their best 23-game stretch since the 2005-06 season.
Leading all scorers was sixth-man of the year candidate Dinwiddie who finished with a game high 29 points against a magic team trying to claw their way into the playoff race.
But it was Russell who flirted with a triple double against Orlando—dropping 25 points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing seven rebounds—who left the biggest impression.
“He’s the biggest key. He’s playing at an incredibly high level. They’re winning more than anything else because of their point-guard play,” said Magic Head Coach Steve Clifford.
There was skepticism about what Russell could produce this year but in this 23 game run he has proven his worth in a big way. Since their winning ways begane Russell has averaged 21 points a game, with 7.4 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field, making this his best run since being drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2014 draft.
While Russell’s becoming the leading face of this Nets team, he isn’t doing it alone. Russell and Dinwiddie have become a two headed point guard headache for opponents and it’s not being overlooked.
“There aren’t many teams who have a guy playing at the level Russell is, or Dinwiddie. They’re particularly difficult to defend when you put the two of them out there together,” continued Clifford.
More importantly it’s how the two guards feel towards one another, and as of right now they definitely have the confidence in what they can do when Nets Coach Kenny Atkinson entrusts them to run the offense as one.
“I just think when we’re both aggressive it works out best for us. We’re getting games under our belts and I think we’re realizing how to play off each other and be aggressive and kind of playmaking and make things happen every time we get the ball,” said Russell.
Against the Magic(20-28) the game came down the the final minutes of play. The Nets found themselves down 104-102 with 4:32 left in the fourth quarter after an Evan Fournier bucket, when Russell found Center Jarrett Allen for a layup to tie the game.
With the game knotted at 104, Russell grabbed a rebound off a miss from Magic center Nikola Vucevic and pump-faked his way to his deadly mid-range jumper to put the Nets ahead by two.
Nets forward Joe Harris then found DeMarre Carroll, who finished with 19 points, for a huge three pointer to take a 109-104 lead with 2:52 left in the game.
With a five point lead at the 1:25 mark in the closing minutes of the game, Harris took a huge charge from a 7-foot, 260-pound potential All-Star Vucevic—who ended the night with a strong line of 21 points, 14 boards and five assists.—giving the Nets a chance to extend the lead.
“Joe Harris, wow. It’s a winning play right there. He doesn’t make that play they get a layup or a foul and it changes the game but that’s the icing on the cake right there,” said Russell who also has All-Star buzz around him.
“[That] was a great charge taken by Harris. Great hustle play. I honestly didn’t think he was going to get there on time,” Vucevic said after the game.
Then with 3.1 seconds left in the contest, Vucevic gets called for an offensive goaltending on what could have been the game-tying shot for the Magic essential sealing the deal for the Nets who get another win.
For the Nets franchise winning has been sporadic throughout the years, but right now it isn’t just the winning that’s becoming normal, it’s the way in which they pull together in late game situations. The confidence in which they play within closing minutes is something new and exciting in Brooklyn, and something they didn’t start with this season nor had last year.
“We’ve been in these tight game scenarios most of the season, and we obviously went through a spell where we lost a lot of them, and now we’re coming out on the better side of it, but we’ve learned through those experiences and we’re better for it,” said Harris, who finished the game with 13 points shooting 50 percent for the field.
Aside from their win last night, the Nets also celebrated diversity and inclusion as the team hosted its third-annual Pride Night. This year’s Pride Night celebrated the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Inn Uprising, which is widely considered the single most important event leading to the gay rights movement and the modern fight for full LGBTQ equality in the United States.
During the game owners of the Stonewall Inn Uprising Stacy Lentz and Kurt Kelley were awarded the Jason Collins Award for Courage and Leadership. Other prominent members and allies of the LGBTQ community, were featured throughout the night, along with special in-game entertainment.
On Friday night the Nets will face inter-borough rivals the New York Knicks for their fourth and final matchup of the season. The Nets are up 2-1 against the Knicks in the season series and can walk away with complete bragging rights in the city if they get a win.
