Just days after dispatching the 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Nets prolonged their profitable streak to 9 in survival mode by way of a 125-117 victory over the third-seeded Cavaliers on Monday night time.
The nine-game streak marked the franchise’s longest-winning streak since 2004 — when present Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn was a part of a workforce that gained 14 in a row.
“We’ve gotta have the approach to every game the same way, same approach, same mentality, same unity,” mentioned TJ Warren, who got here off the bench and scored 23 factors on 9-of-14 taking pictures from the sector. “Everyone coming in and playing for one another. Let’s continue this streak.”
Kevin Durant fouled out with 1:54 remaining within the fourth quarter, and Cavs star Darius Garland powered Cleveland again from down 19 factors late within the sport, however the Nets withstood Garland’s 46-point night time to carry on for the victory.
It’s one other win proving the Nets have labored themselves into the Eastern Conference’s elite. They have overwhelmed championship contenders in back-to-back video games and have leapfrogged the Cavaliers now for the No. 3 seed within the East.
The Nets have gained 13 of their final 14 video games and at the moment are 20-7 since Jacque Vaughn stepped in for Steve Nash as head coach.
The Nets additionally improved to 12-3 in clutch video games this season — video games determined by 5 or fewer factors within the ultimate 5 minutes of regulation or additional time.
And after beating two of the highest three seeds within the East, the one workforce the Nets haven’t checked off the checklist is the Boston Celtics.
The Cavaliers hung round late within the sport, because of their artful All-Star Garland, who bought the place he wished on the ground. The Cavaliers ran their offense virtually solely via him after Ben Simmons neutralized Donovan Mitchell on the opposite facet of the ground.
Mitchell, who averages 29 factors per sport, shot simply 5-of-16 from the sector for 15 factors. Simmons was his main defender a lot of the night time and blanketed him each time he was on the ball.
Durant and Kyrie Irving completed with 32 factors apiece. Durant surpassed Tim Duncan for fifteenth place on the NBA’s all-time main scorers checklist. Simmons completed with 4 factors, 9 rebounds and eight assists, and Yuta Watanabe scored 10 factors off the bench.
Ex-Net Jarrett Allen completed with 10 factors and 11 rebounds. Former Nets star Caris LeVert mustered simply eight factors in 20 minutes.
The Nets at the moment are the Eastern Conference’s third seed and look to guard that standing Wednesday in Atlanta towards the Hawks.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com