Good issues occur when the Nets take an opponent’s greatest scorer out of the sport.
It’s been the fixed for a Nets crew that prolonged its successful streak to 3 video games with a 111-110 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday afternoon.
The new-look Nets have received video games largely because of their defensive ideas and skill to pressure gifted scorers into poor capturing nights.
It’s once they can’t get a deal with on these stars, nevertheless, that the losses start to pile.
That has not been the case in latest video games: The Nets held Trae Young to only 3-of-12 capturing from the sphere in Friday’s victory over the Atlanta Hawks. They restricted Rockets guard Jalen Green to a 9-of-21 capturing night time within the win in opposition to Houston, and within the must-win victory over the Miami Heat on March 25, the Nets held Jimmy Butler to only 6-of-13 capturing from the sphere and solely seven journeys to the foul line.
And to make it three in a row on Sunday, the Nets needed to neutralize Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen. In their efforts to take action, nevertheless, they misplaced monitor of Talen Horton-Tucker.
Markkanen, the first-ever NBA All-Star born in a Nordic nation, averages only a hair underneath 26 factors and 9 rebounds with three made threes an evening. In his first sport again within the Utah rotation after sitting two with a hand damage, Markkanen scored 23 factors on 8-of-21 capturing from the sphere. The Nets double-teamed the Jazz star within the excessive publish and compelled him into robust, contested photographs all night time. He shot simply 4-of-11 within the first half earlier than discovering his stride within the second half.
It’s the opponent’s second scoring possibility, nevertheless, who the Nets are forcing to win a sport. Against the Hawks, Dejounte Murray scored a team-high 21 factors. For Houston, Kevin Porter Jr. and Alperen Sengun carried bigger scoring hundreds. And for the Heat, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Max Strus all stepped up whereas Butler struggled to seek out offense.
And whereas Markkanen struggled from the sphere on Sunday, Horton-Tucker hung 30 factors on 12-of-25 capturing, virtually completely attacking his man off the dribble and ending by means of contact on the rim. Utah’s Ochai Agbaji additionally hit a pair of threes. Rebounding machine Walker Kessler missed a lot of the second half with a head damage, and vaunted scorer Jordan Clarkson sat out with an damage to his ring finger.
The Nets, although, almost discovered a solution to blow the sport within the fourth quarter. Vaughn pulled his starters on the prime of the ultimate interval, and Utah’s reserves responded with a scoring run that minimize Brooklyn’s as soon as 23-point result in simply 13. Vaughn subbed his starters again in halfway by means of the fourth, however the momentum remained in Utah’s favor.
The Jazz outscored the Nets, 42-26, within the fourth quarter. And when Seth Curry missed each free throws up one to offer the Jazz an opportunity at successful on the buzzer, it appeared like Brooklyn was going to let one other winnable sport slip by means of the fingertips.
Luckily for Brooklyn, Jazz large man Kelly Olynyk had tunnel imaginative and prescient and tried to go coast-to-coast for the win. His floater floated over the rim on the buzzer.
“Honestly, man, we got lucky,” Spencer Dinwiddie stated strolling off the ground. “I ain’t gon lie to you. We’ve got to do better.”
Mikal Bridges scored 30 factors, Cam Johnson added 18 and Spencer Dinwiddie continued his streak of double doubles with 17 factors and 12 assists.
The Nets have 4 video games remaining on the schedule. Next up, they host Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com