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Wins are better than losses, but it was another tough escape for the Nets as they struggled in the second half against one of the worst teams in the NBA. And they did it without James Harden in times of crisis. He came down with hamstring strain four minutes from the end of the third. He will be evaluated on Thursday but Steve Nash played down his seriousness after the game.
“We’re going to watch him and see how he feels in the morning,” Steve Nash said of Harden. “I don’t have much to tell you, but we’re optimistic it’s not a long-term thing and we’ll just watch it.”
When asked if imaging or scan was set for Harden, Nash said it would depend on how he felt in the morning. The Nets head coach explained how Harden, after seeing the coach, was taken out of the game as a precaution.
“I think he told the coach when he was on the sidelines. They returned to look at him and it was decided that it was not worth risking him. We’ll just see how it feels in the morning and go from there.
Kyrie Irving had his fingerprints throughout the game as he finished with 31 points, 12 assists and four rebounds to help Brooklyn win, beating the Rockets, 120-108.
Slipping by one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Nets officially rose to the top of the East for the first time since the 2003 season and ended March with a record 11-2, tying the best month in the history of the franchise.
“First and foremost, really proud of our guys. They threw them a lot this year. We had a lot of different lines, a tough schedule, and a new group. I mean, we have three new groups in a way, ”Nash said as he reflected on the season. “To stay united, to continue to pursue what we ask them to pursue – big picture and short term with details – it’s impressive.”
For the second time in three games, the game wasn’t pretty, but the Nets have now won 19 of their last 22 games and have swept the season series against Houston for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
James Harden, who played just 27 minutes and no action in the fourth quarter, contributed 17 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes. Harden struggled again with his 3-point shot, passing 0 of 3, but ended the night shooting 5 of 10 from the field.
Brooklyn, who was trailing by 18, saved their best play for the fourth as the Nets forged a 19-2 run entering the last minute. Joe Harris, who finished with 28 points on 7 of 12 shots from deep, hit back-to-back 3-point daggers in the last minute to seal the resilient victory and take the Nets to 33-15 this season.
“The first half was a mess, especially the first quarter. The second half was exceptional. The effort and improvement of physicality. We’re really proud of our guys for what they’ve done for everything thrown at them.
Blake Griffin gave the Nets good minutes off the bench finishing with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, including a Lob City-style handover slam, in 22 minutes. Nicolas Claxton who once again finished the game and had a good night off the bench, totaling 12 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one big block in 21 minutes.
“Blake is obviously an extremely talented player. He’s also very smart, ”Joe Harris said of Blake. “He plays a lot of good games. He’s definitely the perfect type of big you want for today’s game where you can give him the ball, play through him, you can space the floor, knock down shots. He adds an element that we are really lucky to have in a great man, sometimes in a 4 or 5 man.
For the Rockets, they came to play as Kevin Porter Jr led the team with 20 points in 31 minutes, followed by Danuel House Jr with 18 points in 30 minutes as Houston falls to 13-34 on the year.
It was all Rockets in the first one because the Nets came out flat and paid it off. Brooklyn struggled early on as Houston came out of the gates on an 18-6 run, which led to Nash calling the first timeout with 8:09 left. The Nets showed no sign of stopping the Rockets on the defensive end as the Houston zone while shading the ball gave Brooklyn all kinds of trouble finding a rhythm.
Irving and Harden kept the Nets afloat during the period, scoring 26 of Brooklyn’s 29 points in the first quarter, but defense was optional as Houston finished the first electric shot 78.9% from the field and 77, 8 deep to go up 42-29 after a.
After calling 13 at the start of the second, the Rockets – buoyed by their high pace – controlled the tempo in the opening minutes, but Brooklyn started to regain a foothold in the middle of the period. The Nets began to reduce the deficit in the closing minutes of their superstar backcourt second behind play. Although the Brooklyn defense couldn’t put together a much-needed series of saves, the Nets stayed within striking distance as Houston made their way to the 68-57 locker room.
The Nets hit the break shooting 47.7% from the field but struggled to find a deep groove (22.2%) as Irving led Brooklyn in the scoring with 18 points followed by Harden with 17. points to go with five rebounds and five assists.
There had to be a spark coming out of the locker room. As Brooklyn forged a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to single digits, the Nets began racking up saves to simmer the Rockets’ offense as soon as Steve Silas called the time out with 7:13 to go. at the third.
Led by Irving, the Nets put together a strong 12-0 run to cut the deficit to one, which included a handed Griffin slam, 3:02 left. Brooklyn took the lead in the dying seconds for the first time, but after a Kelly Olynik float, the Rockets moved into fourth with an 87-86 lead.
The Nets started the last 12 with a crushing blow as the team ruled out Harden for the remainder of the game with right hamstring strain. Despite a slight offensive attack from the Nets early on, the Rockets extended their lead to six with 6:52 to go as another fierce victory was within reach of Brooklyn.
Suddenly the Nets took a five-point lead starting with Claxton, who scored 12 points in the win to go with a key block in the fourth, which allowed Harris to hit a three for the header. To make things smoother, Griffin responded with a three of himself to electrify the Nets and lift the Nets to close the game with a win.
“It felt good. We had a real, real, real, very slow start, but to come back and have that courage and get the win was huge, ”said Claxton. “The return was a lot of fun.”
The cinema room
The Nets were dead in the water. DeAndre Jordan’s performance in Brooklyn’s aggressive defense through the gates was … uninspiring. Blake Griffin hasn’t offered much on the defensive side either. After 15 minutes of play, Steve Nash made the change.
We have written many very nice things about Nicolas Claxton, and for good reason. He’s one of the best players in the league by a variety of catch-all measures (a hero in the RAPTOR rankings of 538, in particular), and he just seems to affect games for the better every time he is. inserted into the bosom.
It’s a HECK of a finish from Kevin Porter Jr., who good Lord has some serious star power. But Nicolas Claxton makes this shot as difficult as humanly possible by reflecting his footwork with near-perfection on the drive. Just a better brand.
Claxton’s recent performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves was probably one of his three weakest performances to date in the 2020-2021 season. The defense was there as always. Duh. But he forced fire on the attack, repeatedly trying to “show the bag” by smoothing out a variety of lopsided hooks.
He was a different player against Houston. It would have been a forced current hook a game ago; Wednesday against Houston, it was a nice short-roll read to a shooter (Joe Harris) going past the break.
No baby. With each game, Claxton goes one step further to gain the trust of the coaching staff, which can result in a longer leash in the playoffs.
“He’s just learning the ups and downs of the game, the flow of the game; how to manage your wind; when to have an impact; how he can have an impact without having the ball, with the ball; play alongside other players who have different skills; being able to adjust and do it on the fly, come in 5 minutes, sometimes play 20 minutes, sometimes not play at all, ”said the always thoughtful Kyrie Irving of Claxton.
No baby, as Kyrie said. With each game, Claxton goes one step further to gain the trust of the coaching staff, which can lead to a longer leash in the playoffs. Who knows, maybe it will start soon.
And after
The Nets will be back in action Thursday as the team host the Charlotte Hornets in the second game in a row. The game is expected to tip at 7:30 p.m. ET.
For a different perspective, check out The Dream Shake – our sister site covering the Houston Rockets.
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