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Showing posts with label Anthony edwards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anthony edwards. Show all posts

Brooklyn races by Sixers squad without Embiid, Maxey




 The Nets bounced back in a big way from a miserable loss to the Grizzlies on Monday night with an impressive win over a shorthanded Sixers squad.

Without Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, Brooklyn still found itself down by double digits. The Nets did not quit and kept fighting back when they could have easily folded and saw their play-in chances sink further into oblivion. 

Five nets reached double figures including Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroeder with 20 apiece. 

The Nets, which they seldomly do, out rebounded their opponent- in this case the sixers- 44 to 38. 

Ollie went deep into his bench due to the team playing its second game in two nights. Ten players saw the floor with each of them getting in the scoring column and making their presence felt. 

Brooklyn will have an off night after the back-to-back and we'll take on a reeling Detroit Pistons squad on Thursday night. 


Nets get mauled by undermanned Grizzlies

 


The Brooklyn Nets may have just suffered their worst loss than the season.

 Against a Memphis Grizzlies squad that was missing five of its best players, the Nets found a way to squander a chance for a third consecutive victory. 

Only Nick Claxton topped the 20 point plateau with 21 points, while Luke kennard notched to season high 25 points. Brooklyn missed 13 free throws and was out rebounded 50 to 33.

Kevin Ollie and company have no one blame but themselves But for a borderline embarrassing loss to a G-league Memphis squad. 

Short-handed Nets romp Hawks by 27



 Brooklyn sent a message to the team its chasing for the final play-in spot on Thursday night by handing Atlanta a 27-point defeat. 

The Nets played arguably the most complete game of the season. Cam Johnson went for a game high 29, while Dennis Schroeder chipped in 23. 

Brooklyn shot a sizzling 22 /46 from three point range while committing just nine turnovers. 

It's been a rollercoaster ride under interim head coach Kevin Ollie. Brooklyn suffered blowout losses to Toronto and Minnesota to open his tenure followed by a blowout win of the Grizzlies. This week the Nets were dismantled in Orlando, only to return home and destroy the Hawks. 

Brooklyn will have a familiar opponent in town on Saturday as they welcome in Atlanta.

Another win over the half and the Nets will be a mere two games back of the play-in race. 

Nets beat down decimated Grizzlies for Ollie's first win



 The Brooklyn Nets snapped a four game skid with a 111-86 win over Memphis on Monday night. 

The Nets fixed many of their defensive issues and kept the Grizzlies at bay as seven players reached double figures in scoring.

Even on a night the Nets came out on top, Cam Thomas turned his ankle and was not putting weight on his foot. Thomas told reporters after the game that he doesn't think the injury is as serious as the injury he suffered earlier this year, but it's not great news nonetheless 

It's almost certain that Thomas will not be available on Tuesday night in a back to back against Orlando and the team already ruled out Simmons for playing for a second consecutive night.

It's been a feel good night for Brooklyn, but the Nets will need more than one win to catapult them back into the playoffs conversation. 

Brooklyn goes out with a wimper against top flight Wolves


 

The Nets battled, but in the end lost a fourth consecutive game-the latest setback to a dominant Minnesota squad.

Brooklyn shot a measley 33.7 percent from the field and 17.1 from 3-point range in the loss.

The Nets were tied with the TWolves at 78 with just under 10 minutes left. Minnesota finished on a 23-8 run to pull away. 

The Nets were competitive but the result was the same. 

Dennis Schroeder took exception to Mike Conley's 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds left to add insult to injury. 

Nets less than Dino-mite in Raptor land

 


New coach, same problems. The Nets fell behind by double digits in the first quarter and were never able to climb back into contention.

The starting five of Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton was less than stellar.

Claxton only had six points, Simmons two points, Finney- Smith three points while Thomas added 19 and Bridges led the way with 21. 

Brooklyn gave up a whopping 46 fast break points, an NBA record since the stat was first tracked back in 1996- 97. 

Kevin Ollie's flawed offensive lineup was less than impressive and will need to be altered quickly. 

Jalen Wilson played just 4 minutes in garbage time and needs to see his workload increase if the Nets hope to even be competitive. 

Brooklyn takes on Minnesota on Saturday night looking for the first win in the Ollie era. 

Dream scenario for Brooklyn Nets revealed

 


The Brooklyn Nets made a major move on Monday following the All-Star break, relieving head coach Jacque Vaughn of his duties. 

The Nets( 21-33) were underachieving in the first half of the year and closed out the first 54 games with a 50-point drubbing at the hands of the Boston Celtics at TD Garden Arena.

That game was the straw that broke the camel's back. Sean Marks and Joe Tsai, in consultation with team leaders, including Mikal Bridges, decided to make a coaching change.

Vaughn unsuccessfully tried to carry over Steve Nash's freelance and free-flowing offense that worked so beautifully with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Now, without superstar talent, the offense was inexplicably built around Ben Simmons, who could never stay healthy. 

The Nets should have been a top flight defensive team, but Vaughn decided to employ a drop defense that had catastrophic results. 

Bridges and other players were looking for clearly defined roles as Vaughn constantly tinkered with starting rotations. 

Now, as the Nets look to the remaining 28 games of the year, it appears as if assistant coach, Kevin Ollie, who joined Vaughn stuff this year, will be name the interim coach. 

Brooklyn will likely cast a wide net this summer in an exhaustive coaching search. Expect Mike Budenholzer to be atop that list. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo's former coach could be the biggest recruiting tool for prospective free agents or superstar trade targets. Things haven't been exactly sunny in paradise in Milwaukee, as Doc Rivers taking over for Adrian Griffin has seen some growing pains. 

The dream scenario for Brooklyn Nets fans is for Antetokounmpo to return this time as a hero in the borough and not public enemy number one. Perhaps the Greek freak will see that life without Bud isn't exactly all it's cut out to be. 

Mikal Bridges fails to defend Nets fans on Knicks podcast

 


Mikal Bridges is a good guy. Always smiling and with an upbeat attitude. He's low-key, but knocking on the door of All-Star status. 

But when the Nets best player went on a podcast this week with former Villanova teammates and now New York Knicks, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson, it became difficult for Nets fans to watch. 

While it appears the ribbing is good natured, Bridges doesn't exactly stand tall against the criticism of Nets fans and the lack thereof at Barclay Center when the Knicks came to Brooklyn earlier this year.

 

Knicks fans have jokingly referred to Barclays Center as MSG South. 

Just another dig at what they consider their little brother- even though the Nets have been the better franchise over the last quarter century. 

It's clear the tide is turning in New York and the Knicks are coming together as a championship hopeful squad. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is sinking into an abyss and failing to find an identity. 

With all this happening in this intercity rivalry, Bridges' inability to at least push back on that narrative has caused a lot of unrest and Nets World. 

Nets late comeback falls short against Celtics

 


In the front end of a home and home, Brooklyn came up on the short end of the stick.

Ben Simmons jump shots were as ugly as the muddy, melted streets throughout the Northeast.

Nic Claxton followed up one of his best performances against the Spurs on Saturday with a terrible outing on Tuesday against Boston.

The Nets had no answers for Jayson Tatum, who dropped 41, while Mikal Bridges had 27 and Cam Thomas 26.

The Nets get another crack at Boston in part of the home and home at TD Garden on Wednesday night. 



Nets make two trades on deadline day



 The Brooklyn Nets completed a trade with the Toronto Raptors acquiring point guard Dennis Schröder and forward Thaddeus Young in exchange for guard Spencer Dinwiddie

The Raptors subsequently bought out Dinwiddie and he is expected to be a coveted piece on the buyout market by several contenders, including: the Lakers and Mavericks.

Dinwiddie played in 348 games as a Net, in two separate stints, and is one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. 

In a separate deal, the Nets sent out another expiring contract in Royce O'Neale, reuniting him with Kevin Durant, now in Phoenix. As part of the deal, the Nets acquire three future second round picks and Keita Bates-Diop and Jordan Goodwin. 

And a corresponding move, the Nets cut forward. Harry Giles.  Brooklyn still has a log jam on their roster and will need to release one more player. 

While the trade deadline was not the splashy type that many Nets fans had hope for, the weren't that many marquee players available. Brooklyn now has the flexibility to revisit trades over the summer, especially a player they had on their radar and Dejounte Murray. 

Kyrie dismantles Nets again, this time in return with Mavs



 Kyrie Irving knows how to tear apart the Brooklyn Nets, whether he's with the team or in another uniform. On Tuesday night, Irving put on a show to a chorus of Brooklyn boo birds mixed with Dallas faithful.

The former Net point guard turned Dallas' problem dropped 36 and had 5 assists while Luka Doncic had 36 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists.

Mikal Bridges had 28, Royce O'Neal 18 and Cam Thomas 16. Dallas jumped out to an 18 point halftime lead and led by that same number after three quarters.

The Nets closed to within six points with 5:22 remaining but couldn't draw any closer.

Brooklyn is now ten games under .500 and welcomes a red hot Cavaliers team into Barclays Center on Thursday. 

The team could look quite different after Thursday's deadline as changes are not only welcomed but sorely needed with this Nets team. 

Curry takes over Brooklyn as Warriors down lackluster Nets

 


Not since the final two seasons at the IZOD Center in the Meadowlands and the two seasons to follow at The Prudential Center in Newark, have opposing fans taken over a home arena the way they have at Barclays Center this season.

Last month, it was Knicks fans chanting Jalen Brunson for MVP in a comeback win and now it was Steph Curry stans soaking up his 29 points.

Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges combined to go 9 of 36 from the field for just 31 points. The Nets shot just 38.2 percent from the field and 31 percent from deep.

Nic Claxton was ejected with a flagrant foul 2, Lonnie Walker IV left with hamstring tightness and Jacque Vaughn refused to use Trendon Watford or Harry Giles off the bench. 

It was all around ugly for Brooklyn. While the stands in Brooklyn are filled with fans, the enthusiasm for the Nets is pailing in comparison to the roars for opposing players.

The deadline is fast approaching and with unrest in Nets World, fans are clamoring for Sean Marks to bring some excitement into an arena that has been comatose due to an inferior product on the court. 

It's time for Marks to trade a Net fan favorite




 The clock is striking midnight on Nic Claxton. Set to to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, it's expected the center will earn $20-$25 million per year, whether he resigns with the Nets or not. 

It's pretty clear that it is Claxton's preference to remain in Brooklyn. But as the Nets look big picture and possibly try to get into the big star hunting mode, Claxton would tie up a lot of the salary cap space and preclude them from taking on major superstars. 

As much as Claxton has been a homegrown Net and has grown up before Nets fans' eyes, the lack of flexibility of the team will have with extending him long-term, coupled with the fact that is offensive game has plateaued, it makes it attractive for Sean Marks to consider moving him. 

It's not a popular opinion, and one that I'm sure Net fans will push back on significantly.  But if Brooklyn wants to maximize this window with Mikal Bridges under a team friendly contract as well as rising star Cam Thomas, adding a legitimate third star player won't happen easily with Claxton still on the roster. 

The trade deadline is this Thursday and things are sure to change by the minute if not the second, but don't be surprised if Claxton is a name that is coveted by several teams and Marks at least takes phone calls on him. 

Ben Simmons scoreless in return to Philly, Nets steamroll Sixers



 The Nets built a 16-point first quarter lead and never looked back. Ben Simmons, who was scoreless and didn't attempt a shot in the game, made his impact felt in other areas with nine rebounds and five assists in 14 minutes. 

Brooklyn's offense was humming with Simmons pushing the pace and finding open shooters. Cam Thomas went for 40, Mikal Bridges 23 and Lonnie Walker IV 20. 

The splashed through 20 threes and dished out 35 assists. It's clear that a healthy Simmons has the Nets playing at a different level, but given his injury history it's hard for the team to put any faith in the point forward staying healthy.

Brooklyn plays again on Monday in a nationally televised game against Golden State.

KD sticks it to Nets one more time, this time in return to Brooklyn

 


Kevin Durant always loved the rims at Barclays Center and he barely needed them on Wednesday as he dropped 33 to go along with eight assists and five rebounds.

The Nets, led by Cam Thomas with 25 and Mikal Bridges with 21 for the game, hung tough in the first half, trailing by just three points.

Once the third quarter hit, Phoenix blew the doors off Brooklyn with a 42-26 frame, including a stretch where the Suns went 14 of 16 from the field.

The Nets allowed the Suns to shoot 62 percent for the game and despite a late charge to cut the lead to just ten points inside 5 minutes remaining, the Nets couldn't get any closer.

Prior to the game, the Nets showed a tribute video to Durant, one that was rumored, and Durant indicated on X that he neither wanted nor deserved due to his short stint with the team.

The Nets are sinking into oblivion while the Suns seem to be finding their footing. Anything short of a Phoenix championship will be an utter failure during Durant's contract, which runs through the 2025-26 season. 

The Nets, meanwhile, are mired in a brutal stretch of basketball. With the trade deadline seven days away, Sean Marks' future with the club may depend on how he positions this roster for both short-term and long-term success.

Often injured Net lands on injury report, status downgraded

 

Photo by Doug Bearak

All it took was 18 minutes for Ben Simmons to wind up back on the injury report. According to the latest update released by the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons has been downgraded from probable to questionable with a left knee contusion.

The Nets face Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns at Barclays Center on Wednesday night. 

Brooklyn has sorely missed Simmons' play making ability, but his inability to stay healthy makes him an unreliable option for the team this season and moving forward. 

If Simmons is unable to go, that will drastically reduce the Nets chances of pulling the upset against friend turned foe Durant.

While the team is not characterizing Simmons injury as anything to do with his nerve impingement, the franchise has toyed with and played around with injury updates surrounding Simmons. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out and whether this injury is totally unrelated or stems from his chronic back issues that he has had the past couple of seasons. 


Nets nearly blow 28-point lead to Houston, escape with narrow victory

 


Another Nets nightmare almost played out again in Saturday night. After jumping out to a 28 point first half lead, Brooklyn gave nearly all of it back.

It was the latest in a slew of games where the Nets jumped out early and shrunk in big moments.

Jacque Vaughn's crew was lackluster, committing careless turnovers and showing Houston to chip away at the lead. 

Cam Thomas popped off for 37, Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith added 19 apiece. 

Brooklyn welcomes Houston to Barclays Friday looking for two in a row. 

Nets suffer another crushing last second loss to Minnesota

 


Mikal Bridges had two free throws to tie the game with 2.4 seconds remaining, but couldn't deliver.

The Nets top scorer missed the first attempt and intentionally missed the second with Brooklyn down 96-94. A lane violation by Dorian Finney-Smith and failure to foul on the ensuing position was all she wrote. 

Brooklyn showed grit and fight by coming back from double digits and taking haymaker after haymaker from the Timberwolves. Karl Anthony Towns led all scorers with 27, Anthony Edwards had 24 while Cam Thomas paced the Nets with 25 and Bridges added 21. 

Minnesota poured in 50 points in the paint and Brooklyn had difficulty dealing with the size and physicality the Timberwolves brought. 

Despite a spirited effort and comeback attempt, the Nets are now 4-17 in their last 21 games.

Brooklyn travels to Houston on Saturday night to face the Rockets looking to end a three-game skid.

Nets are a rudderless ship with no captain in sight

 



Who is the leader of the 2023-24 Brooklyn Nets?

It isn't Spencer Dinwiddie, whose minutes have been shrinking, and body language is showing signs of frustration with limited playing time. 

The same can be said for Cam Thomas, whose answers with the media are becoming shorter by the day as he gets frustrated with losses piling up and his minutes shrinking.

Jacque Vaughn is alienating veteran players and young guys alike as the locker room has been tuning out the coach that is already under siege. 

Sean Marks has not made public comments since before the season started and while owner Joe Tsai has been present a handful of times this season, he's given no clear direction for the franchise. 

All signs point to this being selling season ahead of February's trade deadline for the Nets, but with Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson as centerpieces, a complete rebuild isn't exactly in the cards.

So, will Marks be able to pick up the pieces from this season, add draft capital, while adding impact rotation players at the same time?

It's proposition and Nets fans have shown they're not exactly the most patient type. Serious doubt has been cast on Vaughn's coaching future with the club, adding to the uncertainty to where exactly this team is headed not only this year but in the seasons to follow.

Marks was in a difficult position when he took over as general manager in 2016 and successfully built an enviable culture that had been destroyed by Brooklyn's first failed Big 3 project. 

While Marks had two superstars in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant dropped into his lap, and a third force his way out to join Brooklyn in James Harden, none of those pieces remain, just the rubble. 

Many fans have even been clamoring for the team to relocate again and return to New Jersey since the product they're putting on the court is not up to snuff. 

There is no magic sauce or formula that Marks can cook up to fix all these problems, but the first step will be to identify a direction, whether that is retooling, rebuilding, or trying to go big game hunting after available superstars. 

The Nets are currently in NBA purgatory, not holding their own draft picks and they're an afterthought in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Things have been bad for the Nets before and even bad since the move to Brooklyn, but this season may be a new low for a franchise that has experienced its share of them. 

 

Nets do unthinkable, blow 18-point lead to Clippers

 


The Brooklyn Nets were in full control of the Los Angeles Clippers until they weren't. 

After building a 18-point lead with seconds left in the third quarter, Brooklyn watched that advantage not not only evaporate, but eventually turned it into an 11-point Los Angeles win. 

Mikal Bridges led the way with 26, Cam Thomas had 20, while James Harden paced the Clippers with 24 and 10, while Kawhi Leonard added 21.

Ty Lue coached circles around Jacque Vaughn, who allowed the Clippers to stage a 22-0 run to end the game.

It's inexplicable some of the lineup changes that Vaughn made as well as his lack of commanding the huddle and coordinating a semblance of an organized offense.

The Nets have now squandered three winnable games over the last week-plus by losing to Portland, Miami and now the Los Angeles Clippers with a Thunder win preceding that stretch and Laker win on Friday night.

Had the Nets made a few lineup adjustments and different play calls, but they may be riding a six game win streak instead of 4-14 record over the last 18 games. 

Aside from Ben Simmons, Brooklyn is relatively healthy and injuries are no longer an excuse but poor coaching decisions are preventing an underdog Nets squad from staying out of the loss column and in the playoff race. 


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