The Brooklyn Nets lost at home to the Houston Rockets on Friday night, 119-111. This was a game that was there for the Nets to win. They held a lead at the half and were within two possessions late in the fourth, but were unable to get stops on Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony down the stretch. Here are five thoughts.
- It’s clear that this team plays well with Caris LeVert initiating and/or being involved in the primary action.
LeVert scored a career-high 29 points on an efficient 10 of 17 from the field, including 4 of 6 from three. He is averaging 20 points per game, just under 5 rebounds per game and four assists, career highs across the board. LeVert showed this kind of potential during his rookie season and again last year. He’s come out the gates this season determined to make that potential a more consistent reality. He has to stay healthy and play between 73 and 77 games this season but he’s on track to be the league’s most improved player. Down the stretch of Friday’s game, he hit back to back threes and was able to get into the paint. He still gets caught in between going up with the shot and passing when he gets inside, but the more situations, the easier the reads will be for him. Speaking of decision making…
- D’Angelo Russell was on the bench again in the fourth quarter of a close game.
Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson diffused any talk following the game about a “benching”, saying he was riding the “hot hand.”
Yea, like I said, it’s game to game. We’re going to see it with Spencer (Dinwiddie) and Caris (LeVert) and Joe (Harris) and I thought they were playing well. And then we went one through five is switch, we switched everything, so didn’t want to get any mismatches.
Regardless, this was yet another game where Kenny and his staff believed D’Angelo would not help to be on the floor in a late game situation. D’Angelo is a talented player, but his decision making is and has been questionable in his early career. With the Nets looking to win these types of games, Kenny is going with the guys he believes will make the proper plays.
- The Nets need to close quarters better.
Brooklyn was up double digits in the closing 90 seconds of the first two quarters. Both times they inexplicably relaxed and allowed those leads to fall to single digits. Good teams, close quarters well. At the end of the second and third quarters, the Brooklyn defense allowed Chris Paul to dribble into”momentum changing” threes. This was a problem that plagued the Nets last season and looks like it has carried over into this season. Understanding score, clock, and situation are hallmarks of smart teams.
- Ball movement.
The stat sheet only shows 22 assists for the Nets but they moved the ball fairly well against the Rockets. Kenny likes offensive spacing and is a believer in the ball having energy and when you move it, good things happen. The team appears to hunt for open shots for one another and that’s a good thing going forward.
- Three-point shooting was good.
The Nets shot 15 of 34 for 44% which is a great clip. Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Shabazz Napier were excellent from deep. The three-point revolution has taken over the NBA, but Kenny likes a balance between rim attacks and the deep ball. Despite the loss, the Nets were pretty good in their ratio. The offense wasn’t their problem on Friday night.