[ad_1]
NEW YORK – With a double-digit lead reduced to just one point in the final quarter of the Brooklyn Nets game on Saturday night against the Miami Heat, Kyrie Irving has taken over. He splashed in the 3-point clutch, had driving layups, and made key free throws to help take the Nets to a 128-124 win.
At the end of the day, Irving said his mindset was, “Now is the time to win.”
“I’ve always said that throughout my career,” Irving said. “When it gets to that point, obviously you just want to get on the defensive, get some saves, and I felt like we did.”
The victory ended a two-game losing streak for the Nets, who lost two games to the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this week. Irving’s 18 points in the fourth quarter were the most important he has scored in a final quarter since joining Brooklyn.
“We had two losses where we had to learn a lot very quickly,” said Irving. “And we just moved on to the next night. And I feel like we gave the effort in spurts, and obviously we want to have more consistency in there – and that will take time. happy with the effort tonight. “
Irving finished with 28 points. Kevin Durant had a high of 31 points for the Nets, while Joe Harris added 23 points, including seven 3. James Harden added 12 points and 11 assists.
Bam Adebayo finished with a career-high 41 points, five rebounds and nine assists for the Heat.
“It was about time Bam was 40 to get a lot of these moves he was working on in the offseason,” Irving said. “Just watching him grow up from high school, being able to take over at this point for some kind of under-resourced Miami team is good to see.”
The Nets entered Saturday’s game in an effort to improve defensively. While they couldn’t completely contain Adebayo, there were hints of improvement.
After being passed 50-29 Friday in Cleveland, the Nets got on with a defensive rebound against the Heat. Brooklyn had an 81.3% defensive rebound rate on Saturday – its third highest in a game this season – down from just 58.1% the night before.
Nets coach Steve Nash continued to experiment with rosters involving the team’s three stars. Harden played 11 minutes with Durant and Irving on the bench. And while Harden’s 12 points were his lowest since January 2020, his five straight games with double-digit assists have already been tied for the fourth-longest such streak in Nets history.
“It feels good not having to score so much to give yourself a shot at winning a game,” said Harden. “I can go out there and just be a playmaker and shoot my shot when it’s available and still get the guys involved – and still have a shot at winning the game.”
“It’s a change,” added Harden. “But for me, just being the player that I am has an impact on the game other than scoring.”
After the contest, Irving and Adebayo attempted to swap shirts on the field, before a Heat security guard pulled Adebayo away. This season, swapping jerseys on the field is a violation of NBA coronavirus health and safety rules.
“I just want to follow NBA protocol,” Irving said with a smile before adding, “I have the jersey, by the way.”
[ad_2]
Source link