The Nets had been humiliated Wednesday by the Pelicans in a season-opening rout. However stung satisfaction and all, they bounced again in model two nights later with a come-from-behind 109-105 victory over the Raptors.
Kevin Durant scored 27 factors Friday and snapped a 100-all tie on a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left, giving the Nets the lead for good, in entrance of a sellout crowd of 17,732 at Barclays Middle. However make no mistake, after the Nets had given Durant no assist in any respect in a 22-point loss to New Orleans, this one was a crew win.
Kyrie Irving completed with a team-high 30 factors, together with 13, with three assists, within the fourth quarter. And the Nets wanted all of them.
“I believe you’re simply being very aggressive down the stretch and having that resilient angle to only go at them,” Irving mentioned. “As you may see me and Scottie [Barnes] had been jawing forwards and backwards slightly bit and that’s going to be a part of the sport. That’s the psychological facet. And I’m by no means going to shy from that problem.”
Ben Simmons made incremental enchancment. On Wednesday, Simmons had been all however invisible in his first sport June 2021, fouling out with 4 factors. However in opposition to Toronto, he was extra aggressive pushing the ball, and tallied six factors, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks.
“A step up from Ben. From the leap he was extra aggressive. Acquired within the paint. Each time he will get within the paint he causes issues,” coach Steve Nash mentioned. “He’s beginning to present the participant he will be and I believe he’s nonetheless bought a methods to go. Actually pleased with him. He shook off a primary night time and I assumed was rather more aggressive and [had a good] sport for us.”
The Raptors’ Pascal Siakam was completely dominant with 37 factors, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, and his free throw left the Nets down 79-69 with 2:43 left within the third quarter. However the Nets reeled off 17 unanswered factors to go forward 86-79 on Irving’s three-point play with 9:43 to play.
Irving was whistled for his fifth foul with 7:08 remaining, however Nash challenged the decision and it was reversed to an offensive foul on Toronto’s Barnes. Irving adopted with a 3-pointer and the Nets prolonged the cushion to 100-88 on a reducing transition finger roll by Nic Claxton, who had 19 factors, 11 rebounds, 4 of the Nets’ 12 blocks and a few open-court highlights.
However the Nets struggled with prosperity.
They promptly surrendered 12 unanswered factors, and when OG Anunoby hit a 3-pointer with 1:46 remaining the rating was knotted at 100-all.
“It occurs by letting your guard down while you’re going in opposition to groups. You let your guard down slightly bit, you’re anticipating to get a cease nearly each time, that’s what I’m anticipating. However we’re within the NBA, these are the best gamers on Earth,” Irving mentioned. “There’s a 6-0 run and it goes to a 9-0 run they usually get a free-throw and an and-one, that’s the sport proper there.
“Some groups don’t know methods to reply, and also you see in our league, some leads will not be protected and a few leads are, however for us no lead is protected. Whether or not we’re the hunters or being the hunted. It’s simply discovering our mentality and ensure we’re engaged in our id as a crew, and simply proceed to combat for what we would like and that’s to win ballgames.”
The Nets selected to combat.
Irving hit a bucket to place the Nets again up 102-100, however they let Gary Trent Jr. snake in for a tying layup. Durant untied it on a 3-pointer with 56 seconds remaining.
Then, Irving discovered Royce O’Neale for a 3-pointer to push it to 108-104 with 15 seconds to play. The remainder was tutorial.
“I believe we simply matched their depth,” mentioned Joe Harris, enjoying his first regular-season sport since final November. “We had been capable of actually take a variety of the punches they hit us with. Particularly final sport, we actually struggled on the glass being bodily, and I assumed we did a significantly better job simply total, being collective effort on the glass and simply enjoying extra bodily.”
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