If it was a query of whether or not or not the remodeled Nets’ protection may maintain up in opposition to a high quality opponent, the reply is a powerful sure.
That a lot grew to become clear, shortly, in Brooklyn’s 110-95 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, the Nets’ fourth win of their final 5 video games below newly promoted head coach Jacque Vaughn.
The Nets, who owned the NBA’s worst protection earlier than Vaughn stepped in, have discovered their id on that finish of the ground. They held the Clippers below the 100-point mark and proceed to rank league-best in opponent factors per recreation.
Even Nets proprietor Joe Tsai tweeted his pleasure with the efficiency: “Great win! Elite defense.”
Truer phrases couldn’t have been spoken: The Nets held their fifth consecutive opponent under 100 factors. It’s their longest such streak prior to now eight seasons. It additionally ties any group’s longest streak from final season.
“We dedicated our energy and effort on the defensive end of the floor, which was which was special,” Vaughn mentioned. “And hopefully this group is feeling it: shot-clock violations, blocked shots, coming over [and] helping each other, that piece of it. It has to be contagious.”
And on Wednesday evening, it was Kevin Durant who stepped up and took the problem of neutralizing star Clippers ahead Paul George. George took extra shot makes an attempt than he scored factors, taking pictures 5-of-21 from the sphere for his 17 on the evening. Durant was on George like a invoice collector on the telephone: He was unrelenting and by no means let the Clippers’ All-Star get right into a rhythm.
George entered the sport averaging 25.4 factors per recreation on nearly 49% taking pictures from the sphere.
“I felt like all night we made them shoot over our hands. The shots that they did make were all tough,” Durant mentioned postgame. “I felt such as you received robust shot-makers over there in Marcus Morris, PG, John Wall, Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard: They all make robust pictures, however you gotta dwell with a few of these. So we had been enthusiastic about the way in which our protection was trending all through the entire recreation regardless that we didn’t make pictures.
“I felt like we had been producing good pictures, too, so finally it was gonna begin to fall, however we hung our hat on simply staying in entrance of our man and make them shoot robust pictures over us.
While he was the reply on protection, Durant — as Mavericks coach Jason Kidd mentioned — remained an issue on offense. Yet one other 25-plus level efficiency to proceed his streak: Durant scored 27 on 10-of-16 taking pictures from the ground. He had two blocks and two steals, and in opposition to a Clipper protection that generally faked triple-team blitzes at him, solely turned the ball over 3 times.
Durant solely scored two of his factors within the fourth quarter. That was when an offense that was not on time lastly began clicking. It was Seth Curry, after scoring 23 factors on Wednesday in opposition to the Knicks, who lit it up as soon as once more. He received sizzling within the fourth quarter after lacking open within the first half and completed with 22 factors on 9-of-15 taking pictures.
“Seth was able to come in with that group and really spark us,” Vaughn mentioned after the sport. “Then [we] put in 4 shooters, which [makes it] robust to double group Kevin. That gave us some attractiveness. So a mix of these two issues labored in our favor.
The Nets have one other alternative to see if their protection will maintain in opposition to a high quality opponent. In the second recreation of a back-to-back, they may face LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook’s underachieving Los Angeles Lakers squad.
The Clippers have separated themselves as the higher group in LA, however the Nets dealt with them with ease, which ought to bode properly for Brooklyn within the subsequent three video games of their West Coast highway journey.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com