The Nets sweep the West Coast trip, beating the Clippers, 112-108 as James Harden and Kyrie Irving combine for 65

NET WORLD! NET WORLD! Party it up, James! Party it up, Kyrie!

James Harden and Kyrie Irving combined for 65 points and the Nets defeated the Clippers, 112-108, sweeping their trip to the West Coast while extending their winning streak to six games and improving to 20-12 this season. . Brooklyn is now half a game behind the Sixers for first place in the East.

The game featured four of the league’s most dynamic goalscorers, Harden, Irving, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, as the game rolled into the last minute. The Nets played most of the game, but their character was then tested.

With 28.6 to go, Leonard managed a pair of free throws to tie the game at 108. On the next possession, Irving missed an ISO-three but DeAndre Jordan, who finished with his third double-double of the season with 13 points 11 rebounds and four blocks rocked the ball to put the Nets in place 110-108 with 11.8 seconds left.

The Clippers gave the ball to Leonard who led into the lane and pushed Harden back to draw an offensive foul. Harden, who finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in 41, calmly nailed two free throws to seal the victory. Irving was not far behind in the area score, with 28 points, eight assists and four rebounds in 40 minutes of play.

Bruce Brown played a big role for the Nets on both sides, finishing with 13 points left with eight rebounds, two assists and four steals in 34 minutes.

Even without Kevin Durant for the fourth game in a row, Nets finished the win with 47.8 percent of court and 28.9 percent of depth while returning the ball six times. For the Clippers, who fall to 22-10 on the season, George led the way with 34 points in 33 minutes followed by Kawhi Leonard with 29 points in 39 minutes.

Both teams opened the game easily by hitting their shots, but there were some glares at the start. At 8:54 am. Harden dribbled the ball down the field and was greeted by Patrick Beverley, who held Harden with his right arm starting a small altercation. Despite the altercation, officials did not give either Beverley or Harden, who are also former team-mates, any technical details.

The altercation didn’t affect Harden or Irving, who led the Nets’ offensive charge throughout the premiere. combining for 25 of 28 points in Brooklyn’s first quarter – scoring the third time this season, a pair of Nets finished a quarterback scoring a dozen or more points. each Jeff Green scored the other three points for Brooklyn as the Nets led 30-28 after one.

Brooklyn brought their offensive firepower into the second and the Nets increased their defensive effort, which made the difference. The Nets kept the Clippers to just 51 points in the first half while forcing nine turnovers. Brooklyn finished the first half with a 58-51 lead, shooting 48.9% overall, but a 35.3% streak from deep. Despite ending the first half on a high note, the Nets lost Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot for the remainder of the game after the 6’7 ”Nets wing sustained a right hip contusion at 10:31 am. second.

The game got even scarier in the third. The Nets’ defense remained strong as their offensive firepower followed, which even included a double-pump Irving dunk in transition. After the slam, Ty Lue and the Clippers called a timeout and rebounded, mustering a silent offensive run, but Brooklyn responded and controlled the tempo.

Aside from the Nets’ stellar play at both ends, Brooklyn ended the period without a single turnover and only three for the game. The Nets entered the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead.

Brooklyn didn’t let go in the last 12 minutes of play, but the turnovers added up. The Nets returned the ball three times in less than three minutes as the Clippers, led by Paul George, rallied and reduced the deficit to single digits.

With just under three minutes to go, Jeff Green took a hard hit on an illegal Beverley screen. Green visibly lay down on the field with a lot of pain, favoring his right shoulder. After lying on the pitch for almost two minutes, Green was able to make his way to the locker room on his own, but he appeared to favor his right shoulder. In his post-match media availability, Steve Nash didn’t have any updates on Green or TLC, but soon after, the team announced that Green had sustained a contusion to his right shoulder.

Despite the late return of the Clippers, the Nets held on to win and sweep the road trip. Yes, it can get even scarier!

The cinema room

Steve Nash’s ATO design has been delightfully wonderful this road trip. In my opinion, the Nets were 2 for 2 on scoring and / or generating free throws from sideline sets after the time out. Much of Brooklyn’s off-boundary work over the past week has been designed to generate perimeter plans. Here is an example of the Lakers game.

The play begins with Timothe-Luwawu Cabarrot installing a rear screen (which faces the basket) for Landry Shamet. Defense, naturally, assumes the play is set up to give Shamet a shot over the edge. But then TLC redirects and loops around a DeAndre Jordan flare screen for all three open.

Now take that ATO against the Clippers. Same idea; a player cuts a specific screen off the ground on a screen, but that’s the wrong direction because the set is REALLY designed for the player screening.

Joe Harris cuts from the baseline to the top of the three-point line, just past what appears to be a DeAndre Jordan pindown. Seeing as Jordan sets up a screen for Harris, the Clipper defense naturally assumes the game is designed for three-ball Joey Buckets, and Kawhi Leonard relaxes for a second while watching the action. DeAndre Jordan, whose rolling abilities were quite spectacular lately, take advantage by sliding his screen into the basket. Two points, Brooklyn.

In games with playoff atmospheres like this, every possession counts.

Quick start!

It seems like every quarter there is a data dump from Nets public relations staff showing how this season’s Nets team or a Nets player has matched or surpassed a record set during the Jason Kidd era. James Harden, for example, has now set a franchise record for consecutive games with a double-double at 12.

But here’s the one that matters …

That asterisk? The teams that have qualified for the NBA Finals.

And after

The Nets return to the Barclays Center as the team host the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, February 23. The game is scheduled to switch at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on YES Network. Tuesday’s game will also be the first game fans will be in to watch the Nets Big Three!

For a different perspective, check out Clips Nation – our sister site covering the Los Angeles Clippers for SB Nation.