The main storyline of Tuesday night's game between the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks wasn't very good. Kyrie Irving returned to Barclays Center for the first time since Brooklyn traded him to Dallas at last season's trade deadline, but other than a curious mix of boos and cheers, there wasn't much to report.
Brooklyn paid tribute to its former guard…well, not with a video, but with a perfunctory “thank you” alongside former Nets Markieff Morris and Seth Curry. Perhaps Irving felt slighted, or maybe he just wanted to gently remind his old team of what they were missing. As it turns out, hoops were never the problem.
Irving led all scorers with 21 points in the first half and continued to trade places with batsman Luka Doncic all night for the leading scorer. However, the visiting Mavs did not do the same, maintaining a chokehold on the Nets that ranged from deadly to unpleasant, but never in doubt.
The Nets struggled to protect Dallas' dynamic backcourt in the first half, but the offensive end was an even bigger problem. Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges improved on their abysmal performance from Monday night, but carried a huge burden with Cam Johnson and Lonnie Walker IV out. Add to that the return of Ben Simmons, which means half-court spacing becomes even more of an issue…
That being said. Bridges and Thomas never let go of the wheel. Bridges again scored from 3-point range, shooting ___ and finishing with a total of ___ points. Thomas shot just ___, but moved the floor much more smoothly in the crowded paint and almost finished with a triple-double: _____….
Much of the difference between the Bridges/Thomas and Kyrie/Luka pairings, at least in the first half, was in the supporting cast. Dallas entered the break with a 65-47 lead on the strength of supplemental 3-point shooting.
The Mavs, not their star players, made 6-of-11 shots from deep, but that look was often the result of Doncic's offensive trappings. For Brooklyn, the only role player who hit threes was Royce O'Neal, who shot 2-of-6 from beyond. Thomas and Bridges did the best they could, but they didn't have a horse that could truly compete.
The Nets came out of the locker room in zombie mode and looked ready to surrender in the final 24 minutes of the game. Doncic's traps have become more aggressive, but the rotation of the back line has completely collapsed.
But it was a mistake to suggest a punt on the second night of this series.
The Nets struggled with improved defense and three-point shooting. Jacque Vaughn broke the glass in case of an emergency and stuck Nic Claxton on Doncic for a while.
Claxton ended up with five blocks, and was able to hold off the Slovenian superstar just a little. Brooklyn fell behind by 23 points and fell spectacularly to single digits multiple times, but Luka (35/18/9) and Kyrie (36) always had an answer.
Aside from Bridges and Thomas' improved offensive performances, Jalen Wilson stood out as a bright spot in Brooklyn's fake comeback. The rookie scored 10 points in 18 minutes and brought the full hustle Nets fans have come to expect from his brief stint in the major leagues.
Royce O'Neal was Brooklyn's second leading scorer with 18 points on 4-of-3 shooting, but he, Bridges and Thomas were missing the final piece of the puzzle.
Spencer Dinwiddie seemed uninterested in his team's offense until the final five minutes of the game, when he seemed to be mocking Nets fans who have been begging for such activity for a month. I drove in the lane repeatedly. Simmons overcame some of his offensive shortcomings by picking up the pace and hitting the offensive glass in the second half, achieving a healthy stat line of 9/9/7 in his 20 minutes…
But that wasn't enough, as the hole Brooklyn dug in the first half was too steep to climb out of. It wasn't necessarily the new starting lineup featuring Dinwiddie/Thomas/Bridges/Simmons/Claxton, but the play of the entire team. Dennis Smith Jr. had a good run, scoring six points in 18 minutes, but ultimately hurt the half-court offense.
Trendon Watford and Noah Clowney made brief cameos, playing seven minutes in the first half, but they were just passing points for Dallas' offense, no different from their more experienced teammates. Ta.
Brooklyn's loss in the semifinals (for the team) had a positive side. Also (second night in a row). Bridges and Thomas played like true professionals in a tough offensive situation. Despite Simmons' misgivings, the Nets won by one point in his 20 minutes, sparking the second half. Claxton's defense remains beyond reproach. Wilson looks like he's having fun.
But there are only so many emotional victories for teams and fans, and 50 games into the season, it has long lost its appeal.
So when the Nets cut the deficit to 107-101 and Kyrie Irving casually came down to the floor and hit back-to-back game-clinching threes, it was enough to make me miss the man in black and white. .
perhaps.
Latest injury information
Ahead of Tuesday's game, Jacque Vaughn provided yet another injury update. His Nets only have 11 players wearing them. It included three two-way contracts, so how could they not?
However, the update didn't solve much. Cam Johnson and Lonnie Walker IV each suffered injuries in Monday's contest (adductor strain and left hamstring strain, respectively) and underwent MRIs on Tuesday. However, at the time Vaughn served as the presser, the Nets were still in the “evaluating” stage.
Walker's absence is especially concerning considering he missed 17 consecutive games with a left ham injury earlier this season.
Vaughn also said Dorian Finney-Smith and Dayron Sharp remain sidelined, and the DFS remains on the “day-to-day” designation.
kylie returns
And, well, so are Markieff Morris and Seth Curry. You could also throw in Jared Dudley, who is currently coaching with the Cavs, and Devin Harris, who is currently a color commentator for Barry Sports Southwest.
Brooklyn didn't treat Irving's return as anything special, recognizing him along with Morris and Curry on a virtual greeting card.
The semi-audible boos posted on Peter Splendorio's posts grew even louder during the game, as the Barclays Center crowd wasn't shy about expressing their displeasure with West Orange native Peter Splendorio. Some of them, anyway.
Just like when Stephen Curry showed up in Brooklyn on Monday night, Luka Doncic had a lot of supporters, de facto Mavericks fans, in attendance. There were hearty boos when Irving started handling the rock, but the crowd cheered when the ball ripped through the nylon. Typical Nets:
But overall, Irving's return was uneventful, especially compared to Kevin Durant's return a week ago. Both parties treated it like it was just a business trip, and that's what happened.
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