[ad_1]
The Nets – no, put the Nets in first place – have a host of impressive wins this season. None have sent a more frightening message to the rest of the NBA than this one.
Sitting atop the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2003, the Nets – and debutant LaMarcus Aldridge – looked like a team determined to stay there. They completely outplayed the fourth-place Hornets on both ends of the Barclays Center court in a 111-89 victory on Thursday night, and did so without Kevin Durant, James Harden and Blake Griffin.
“It was a great victory. One of the best starts we’ve had since before the break so it was positive, ”said coach Steve Nash. “It’s a very good team. We obviously shot the ball well, but we defended, we got into the people, the communication was excellent, the rebound. We took care of business.
With this veteran trio, with a staggering 26 All-Star berths combined, in street gear, the Nets (34-15) kept the Hornets at just 34.9% shooting and led by up to 32 points.
And they did it with Aldridge not only making his Nets debut, but also playing his first game in a month – and looking awesome.
“I had fun there,” Aldridge said. “These guys are great. It’s a bunch of good guys who just want to win and play good basketball so that makes it easy.
The nets looked like it was easy, even tough Harden was scratched with a hamstring problem, which would be a minor grade 1 injury. He was listed as day to day.
Jeff Green scored 21 points, the team’s top, while Kyrie Irving had 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists executing an offense that shot 0.484 and went 20 for 45 over a 3-point range.
As it turns out, reports of the 35-year-old Aldridge’s athletic disappearance were greatly exaggerated. He went straight into the roster for DeAndre Jordan, and responded with 11 points, nine tables, six assists and two steals.
“[Jordan’s] the spirit was great. I told him, DJ, whether you are playing or not, he has to stay ready and have a good attitude, ”Nash said. “And he accepted and he had a great attitude and support for his teammates. We are all trying to play for something bigger than ourselves.
Considering Aldridge hadn’t played since March 1 (a 0-for-3, two-point effort against the Nets before being bought out by Spurs), even Nash was surprised at how quickly the center s ‘is upgraded.
But Aldridge was not.
“I worked. Just because you didn’t see me on TV or saw me on the stats sheet, I wasn’t just sitting on my couch,” Aldridge said. “I’m an older guy so I know how to stay prepared. I was surprised how good my wind was, because I thought I would definitely be more tired, but I felt good.”
Aldridge fits perfectly into the Nets’ switching defense, bringing in size and positional IQ. He helped them take a 32-11 lead after the first quarter on a running dunk by Green, whom he supplanted as the Nets senior statesman. The Nets held the Hornets 4 for 23 and 1 for 10 deep in the first quarter.
During a stretch of the second quarter, Aldridge scored or assisted on 15 consecutive Nets points. A 12-2 run to open the second half bolstered their lead to 30, and it reached 84-52 when Joe Harris found Bruce Brown for a cup layup with 5:45 left in the third. .
“Incredibly proud, especially for a regular season game against a team that is very well positioned in the Eastern Conference and has been playing well lately. So it was a great test to see where we were at, ”said Irving. “We should have more games like this honestly, where we are the dominant team in the first quarter instead of playing from behind.”
Landry Shamet scored 17 points on his return after missing five straight games with a twisted ankle. Now the Nets can only hope Harden returns soon.
“He’s doing pretty well. He had a scan and it was clear, so he’s day to day. So we’re glad it’s not worse, ”Nash said. “So a big sigh of relief, and day to day means we’ll probably see him in the next few games for sure.”
[ad_2]
Source link