After a sluggish start the Brooklyn Nets found their second wind on the way to a 122-117 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night at Barclays Center —matching their total season wins from last season.
It was the second game of a back-to-back and the Nets(28-24) were visibly exhausted after a tough loss the night before in Boston. In the first quarter alone they shot a horrendous 26.7 percent from the field in 8 of 29 shots from the field and it looked like it was going to be a rough night going forward.
But somehow the Nets found their stride, got their legs back under them and past the mental errors to push through and defeat the lowly Bulls (11-40). More importantly it was yet another sign for the Nets that they continue to pass every test a long NBA season will throw at a young team.
“They’re fatigued, we’re fatigued. We just found a way. It wasn’t pretty at all,” said coach Kenny Atkinson after the game. “We obviously did not shoot the ball well tonight, but credit to their defense. I thought their defense was really good.”
The Nets defense wasn’t so good, allowing the Bulls to shoot 50 percent from the field and a total of 64 points in the paint for the entire game. It was a grind of a win, but a win just the same and necessary with now sixth-man of the year candidate Spencer Dinwiddie who just underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb out of the lineup.
They still managed to find a way and it started with All-Star reserve candidate D’Angelo Russell and third string point guard Shabazz Napier, who is taking on a larger role in the absence of Dinwiddie
Russell finished the game with his eighth 30 point game of the season, while Napier added an energetic 24 points off the bench. It was behind the guard duo, that the Nets overcame a nine-point second half deficit, midway through the third taking complete control of the game going forward.
What was most impressive was Russell’s ability to keep their offense in control with the Bulls lurking throughout the entire fourth quarter.
“Guys did a good job closing it out. I thought D’Angelo (Russell) really managed the game well at the end of the game. They’re double teaming him, he’s getting it out, he’s making the right play – really good. Shabazz (Napier), supporting cast – good job,” said Atkinson.
Russell managed a perfect game dishing out 10 assists, without a single turnover—something that has plagued him towards the ends of games throughout his career.
The Bulls still put up a fight and with 2:54 left in the game they cut the lead to three. With the Nets up 107-104 Joe Harris, who finished with 17 points, added another spark for by hitting a huge three which was quickly followed by a sweet finger roll layup to put them up by four. After that the Bulls tried extending the final minute of the game by sending the Nets to the free throw line, but they responded accordingly, hitting 10-12 of their final shots at the charity stripe.
The win over the Bulls give the Nets their seventh victory in eight games and the ninth straight at home. More importantly it shows how much this team wants to compete night in and night out.
“You could feel something good was around the corner. You could see everyone improving. Even now, we’re shorthanded and we’re still able to close out games and play basketball the right way. I think that’s the most important thing,” said Harris after the game. “Obviously we hope for better things down the road once we get some guys back, but what we have established right now, I think is something we can definitely be proud of.”
During the game the NBA announced that Brooklyn Nets second-year center Jarrett Allen and rookie forward Rodions Kurucs have been named to the MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars rosters as part of 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Allen who was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft is averaging 11.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.5 blocks in 26.7 minutes per game. Kurucs, selected by the Nets with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, is the lowest drafted player to be selected to this year’s Rising Stars. He has played in 34 games (22 starts) in his rookie season, averaging 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game. The
The two are the 15th and 16th Nets players to ever participate in the Rising Stars game, and the first since Bojan Bogdanovic participated in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016. It also marks the third time Nets teammates have played in the game together (Kenyon Martin and Stephen Jackson in 2001 and Bogdanovic and Mason Plumlee in 2015).
Allen will play for the US team and Kurucs for the World team.
