Brook Lopez scores season-high 34 points, which lifts Nets to a win over the Pistons with the loss of Jeremy Lin in 2nd half due to a hamstring injury

The 109-101 Brooklyn Nets win over the Detroit Pistons is just what this young Nets team needed after the two-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on the road on Saturday and a blowout 118-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls at home on Monday.

Brook Lopez grabbed a season-high 34 points in the win, with 24 of those points accumulated in the first half. He also amassed 11 rebounds, nine of those in the defensive column. And, the big guy didn’t stop there. Lopez has been working on his three-point shooting skills and is reaping the rewards; he connected on four of eight attempts from three-point range.

Coming off the bench, shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick was the second highest scorer for the Nets, netting 24 points and 10 rebounds. Joe Harris pulled in 13 points; Bojan Bogdanovic posted 11 points, and Jeremy Lin scored 10 points and four assists before leaving the game because of a hamstring injury.

Brooklyn Nets forward Trevor Booker didn’t score in double digits, but his defensive skills came in handy. Detroit forward Marcus Morris hit a 3-pointer with 2:37 to go putting the score at 103-98 and diminishing the Pistons’ deficit to five points. Detroit tried to make a run to make it a one-possession game, as guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope got to the rim at the one-minute mark. However, Booker stepped in with a block denying Caldwell-Pope the shot.

“That was spectacular, but that’s part of who Trevor Booker is and why we brought him here – how hard he plays and his defensive instincts,” said Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson. “It was really evident on that play. It’s funny, that was a great block, but I thought a lot of guys stepped up at the end, made big defensive plays, big defensive rebounds against a good team.”

The Nets road to a win over the Pistons wasn’t a total walk in the park.

In addition to losing Jeremy Lin, the Nets blew a 16-point halftime lead. In the closing minutes of the game, it was the Pistons’ foul trouble that enabled the Nets to put more daylight between the teams.

In the loss, Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris each scored 23 points for Detroit. Kentavious Coldwell-Pope added 15 points and seven rebounds.

Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo, Dwayne Wade team up to push back Nets 118-88

The Chicago Bulls came into the Barclays Center on Halloween night to play the Brooklyn Nets with an undefeated 2-0 record; and it was apparent from the start, that the Bulls were determined to leave with its undefeated record intact.

Although Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez won the tip over his brother Robin, the Bulls set the tone early, running roughshod over the Nets, taking the First Quarter 38-20. Bulls forward Jimmy Butler wasted no time making his presence felt early. Butler knocked down 13 of his 22 points in the first quarter.

“I think they are playing with more pace,” Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson stated. “I think (Bulls point guard Rajon) Rondo helps with that. He pushed the ball up the court. They’re versatile off the bench so they can give you different looks with (Nikola) Mirotic coming off shooting. I think they set the tone, they set the pace, they really made their imprint on the game and we definitely did not have it tonight.”

“They were the more aggressive team,” Atkinson continued. “I thought they really came out and really got into us. I thought, for some reason, we were back on our heels a little bit and they took advantage of that. Give them credit. I thought they played really well. They played a great game.”

There’s no question the Bulls played really well. The numbers tell the story.

Nets shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic led all Nets players with 15 points. Other Nets players in double digits were Jeremy Lin with 14 points, four assists, and four steals. Sean Kilpatrick and Brook Lopez each scored 13 points. A telling stat regarding Lopez, he only had two boards and both were offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Bulls had seven players in double digits. Two of the top three Bulls scorers came off the bench. Butler led all players with 22 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Mirotic posted 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists off the bench. Isaiah Canaan, another backup player, scored 15 points and six assists. Bulls starting forward Taj Gibson contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds. Dwyane Wade, against a backdrop of cheers, showed the crowd he still has it, tallying 12 points, four assists, and three each in the rebound and steals columns.

It’s early in the season, but the Nets have to get the fire in the belly and stand up to the better teams, or it’s going to be a painful season.

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-110

A historical night in New York, while both Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump await results that will determine who will run the country, the Brooklyn Nets were the clear winner in this city. The Nets, seemingly unfazed by the election soared over the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-110 for the win.

Veteran Brook Lopez led his team with 26 points in only 28 minutes. After a small halftime lead (66-65), the Nets knew some offensive adjusting needed to be done.

“Coach (Kenny Atkinson) came in and said our guards only had three rebounds (at halftime),” Lopez said. “That was the battle … Once we had all five guys contributing on the defensive glass, it kind of took care of itself.”

Trevor Booker scored 15 points and Sean Kilpatrick added 14. At least 8 players on the Nets finished with at least eight points—something Kenny Atkinson was pleased with.

“We’re sharing the wealth a little more and in the perfect Utopian motion system, that’s what it should look like, where it’s really everybody’s touching it,” Atkinson said after the game.

Isaiah Whitehead, still in for the injured Jeremy Lin, handled the ball nicely for the Nets, along with some help from Kilpatrick. Whitehead had a little scare in the first quarter after T-Wolves power forward Gorgui Dieng accidently trampled his head. Overcoming the stint, Whitehead returned in the second quarter and finished with six points.

“I’m not sure how many charges he took tonight … Maybe two, but he tried to take like five charges,” Atkinson said while praising the Brooklyn native. “That’s Coney Island toughness.”

The win for Brooklyn will only build up momentum for the team after losing against the Hornets last Friday.

On Wednesday, the Nets will take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden—the first matchup between the New York teams of the season.

Rookie Isaiah Whitehead put up a valiant effort in Jeremy Lin's absence

The Brooklyn Nets fell short to the Charlotte Hornets 99-95 on Friday night at the Barclays Center, stumbling in the final minutes of the game.

The Nets (2-4), who were looking for another early season win, started off the game strong—up at halftime 50-43, but couldn’t seem to keep the momentum. After the game, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson gave kudos to Charlotte for stepping up their defense in the second half.

“I thought that third quarter really hurt us. I thought we got stagnant, I thought the ball stopped moving, and again, they got into us, they started denying some passes (and) got us out of rhythm. So, good job by them; credit to them,” Atkinson said.

Without Jeremy Lin, who is expected to miss at least two weeks due to a strained hamstring, the Nets tried to keep up on both offense and defense, and when the Hornets doubled on Brook Lopez, it made it hard for Brooklyn to stay consistent.

“I just think of the guys that are out there, and I want our offense to run well, whoever is in there. It is just for some reason we just didn’t have any rhythm, and I think they got into us,” Atkinson added.

And that’s what the Hornets did. After keeping the game close, and leading for most of the first half, Charlotte put a stop to the Nets, allowing a 23-6 run in the third.

In Jeremy Lin’s absence, Isaiah Whitehead, made his first NBA start for Brooklyn and in only his fifth career game. Playing 23 minutes, he scored 8 points with three assists and two steals. A Brooklyn native, who attended Seton Hall, Whitehead received some advice from Lin on the bench. Throughout the game, Lin was seen advising Whitehead with a pen and a notepad in his hand. Whatever advice Lin was giving Whitehead during the game, at the top of the list must be learn how to communicate with Lopez.

“We just weren’t finding him,” Whitehead said of Lopez, while criticizing his team’s effort. “We should always find him in the right spots. It’s our job to get him open and call the right plays.”

Lopez, who played 29 minutes, scored 18 points and reached 9,000 points after scoring his 16th point.

Up next for Brooklyn: Minnesota. The Nets will take on the Timberwolves on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8 at the Barclays Center.

The Brooklyn Nets closes out its preseason with an eye on progress, development, and improvement

Instead of starting this article at the beginning, I am going to start at the end of the first half of last night’s Brooklyn Nets’ preseason game against the New York Knicks.

The Nets ended the first half leading the Knicks by two points, with a score of 57-55. If you have watched the Nets in previous seasons since coming to the Barclays Center, you probably noticed a different style of play on the floor. The Nets under new management, general manager Sean Marks, and head coach Kenny Atkinson, have mandated and are stressing a new culture of “team” over “I” or “me” translating into unselfishness. Watching the Nets during the last two games, the team’s buy-in to the new system is apparent. Guys were playing unselfishly, the ball moved around, it was definitely team ball. In addition to the two-point lead at the half, the Nets led the Knicks in most of the measurable metrics that matter: field goal percentage 52.6 vs the Knicks 48.9 percent; three-point shots 46.7 vs the Knicks 20 percent, and the Nets made 91 percent of their free-throws compared to the Knicks 64 percent. However, the Knicks did outscore the Nets on rebounds; by half-time, the Knicks out-rebounded the Nets 20-18, which was a sign of things to come.

So, where did the Nets breakdown happen?

The Knicks took a nine-point lead in the third quarter on fast breaks, gaining 49 percent field goal shooting over the Nets’ 46 percent. The Knicks also out-rebounded the Nets; ending the third with a rebound score of 38-24, picking up 18 rebounds in the third quarter to the Nets’ four.

This was not lost on Atkinson.

“I think I said it before, I think rebounding is an issue right now and I think transition defense is something we need to work on, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said at the Nets post-game press conference. “They had a fair amount of fast break points so those are some areas we have to get better at.”

#Truth.

Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin led all scorers with 24 points and 10 assists. However, unlike the Knicks, the Nets only had two starters in double digits; the other being center Brook Lopez who supplied 12 points.

The Nets other double-digit scorers came from the bench Joe Harris scored 15 points, Bojan Bogdanovic added 12 points, and Justin Hamilton chipped in 11 points.

Carmelo Anthony led Knicks scorers with 21 points. Starters Courtney Lee dropped 15 points and five rebounds; and Joakim Noah supplied 12 points and six rebounds.

Both benches contributed 59 points; coming off the Knicks bench in double digits were Justin Holiday with 14 points, Kyle Quinn added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Mindaugas Kuzminskas chipped in 10 points.

“I was proud of our guys at the end,” Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek said about his secondary line. “They ended up putting their starters back in I think with a nine or 10-point game and when they went out it was eight points.”

Even in the loss, Atkinson complimented his players, as he should have.

“I complimented them on their effort and despite the record, I think we’ve made progress,” Atkinson told the media. “And that’s going to be our message all year, progress, development, improvement. We obviously have areas we have to improve in but again, 10 new players and I like a lot of stuff I see. I think where we are right now is be a little bit more consistent. And that’s the tough part in the NBA over a 48-minute game, to do it longer than the other team. So that’s the overall positive message.”

The Brooklyn Nets are now focused on the regular season. The Nets first regular season game is against the Boston Celtics in Boston on Wednesday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m. The Nets open up at home at the Barclays Center against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Perhaps, the fans will give Thaddeus Young a warm welcome when he hits the hardwood for the Indiana Pacers.

The Nets dealt Young to the Pacers on NBA Draft night for Caris LeVert, the No. 20 overall pick and for a future second-round pick. Levert did not play last night because he is out with an injured left foot.

VIDEO: Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez gives the media his takeaways from the Nets preseason 100-97 loss against the Celtics

Brook Lopez on tonight’s game:

“It was tough. Like you said I thought we came out with great defensive presence and energy, and we sustained it for the most part. The third quarter has been key for us the past couple of games and I thought while the Celtics made their run we responded, which is something that hasn’t happened in the past two games.”

Brook Lopez On exploring the offense:

“Yeah, no question. I think the process will definitely continue over the regular season as well. You know we have so many new guys, new faces that we are getting to know each other and know the system. We are learning on the fly, but we have lots of intelligent, smart and selfless guys here, so we are picking it up quick and we’re enjoying playing with each other.”

Brook Lopez on playing with Jeremy Lin so far:

“ It’s been great. You know, he makes everyone on the floor better, he makes me a better player no question. He’s just such a great influential presence out on the floor for us.”

Brook Lopez on team coming together on defense:

“Absolutely, we made a point that on the road we need to come out with energy, but we need to do the same at home, you know, we need to come out and be the aggressor. That’s where we’re going to be an advantageous position, that’s where we are going to find out solidarity within each other, playing with energy, playing together.

And, there is more in the video.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson gives his assessment about the Brooklyn Nets preseason game against the Boston Celtics held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn

Kenny Atkinson on the last few possessions of the game:

“Yeah, we could have managed it a little better – I think communication and getting on the same page on what we’re gonna do. It’s going to be a great thing for us to look at film and what we’re gonna do in certain situations. So, you know, getting on the same page, coaches and players. We obviously could have gotten better shots at the end of the game, and then we lapsed in defensive transition, I thought, once or twice at there at the end too, which I thought was a little disappointing.”

Kenny Atkinson on his takeaway from the game:

“First of all, defensively, I was really happy. Just our energy, our activity and just the way the guys competed. It’s just a big improvement, and that’s what we’re looking for now is improvement from the last, especially the last two games. But I will bring up, I don’t know, that third quarter I think they got us again. So I think we have to figure out that third quarter. Coming out I think they had 30 points or something in the third quarter. So again, stringing those defensive possessions for 48 minutes, it’s a good challenge for us.”

Kenny Atkinson on if his player rotation in this game is reflective of what can be expected in the regular season:

“Yeah; well, I’m not sure. But we definitely did want to see our guys together for longer periods of time obviously. And then I’m glad we did it. And next game, you might see something different. But we thought tonight, especially after our couple of performances that were a little subpar, I think we all felt that, you know, let’s see our group together. And it could be somebody else in that group too, we’re still evaluating, but it was good. We did it make it a little bit of a push there seeing our guy – the kind of guys we’re thinking about getting regular season minutes – in there together.”

Kenny Atkinson on Not Playing Isaiah Whitehead

"We kinda had it planned out; it was like a plan. He’ll get his shot again and other guys will rest. Just part of the plan; wasn’t any reaction to having a so-so game, that’s not how we are. We got a plan in place and we’re sticking to it."

Kenny Atkinson on Brook Lopez Getting More Minutes; Brook Lopez and Jeremy Lin Pick-and-Rolls

"I really want to establish our motion offense, to come down and run a pick-and-roll every time…obviously, we’re going to need that, we’ll need it in important times. I think right now we’re trying to get the ball moving, trying to get the ball side-to-side, getting everybody with touches. Brook and Jeremy, they’re both going to have to learn how to work within that dynamic; when it’s crunch time, we can think about drawing up special plays for them and getting into a pick and roll with those two, but we still have to progress with our offense, so that’s where we are, so we’re not going to rely on that…”

Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin responds to reporters' question about Donald Trump's "locker room talk"

After the Brooklyn Nets' 100-97 preseason loss to the Boston Celtics, Jeremy Lin and other Brooklyn Nets players spoke with the media.

A reporter from an Asian media outlet asked Lin about Donald Trump's locker room talk.

VIDEO: Jeremy Lin gives his reflections on losing 100-97 to Boston Celtics

After the Brooklyn Nets preseason game against the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin spoke with the media.

The Boston Celtics won 100-97

Nets struggled in the first half, tightened up in second half holding the Pistons to 35 points

It’s NBA preseason and the Brooklyn Nets came out the gate with a win, beating the Detroit Pistons 101-94 at the Barclays Center.

A symbolic victory, but no time to gloat because preseason only counts in that it is a tune-up for the regular season. It’s a time to take stock of where the seepage is located, measure the size of the hole, and determine how to fill it. As a player, it is also the time to give it your best shot in an attempt to make the final roster.

The Pistons had 24 turnovers, which helped the Nets shoot 69 percent in the first quarter.

As a team, the Nets hit 35-of-78 (.449) from the field and 14-of-34 from deep. Defensively, the Nets got out to a rough start, allowing the Pistons to shoot 58% (25-of-43) from the field in the first half, falling behind 59-57 at the break. But in the second half, the Nets tightened up, holding the Pistons to 35 points.

“We struggled in the first half against a good team, a good offensive team, but on the positive side, they only scored 35 points in the second half,” Coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We picked up our activity. I think we were just more active. We got in passing lanes, we caused a lot of havoc out there and that was a real positive defensively.”

Jeremy Lin led the team with 21 points, shooting 7-of-11 including 5-of-8 from deep in just over 17 minutes.

Lin said after Thursday’s game that he knows he won’t be getting eight open 3s every night,

Other Nets players with points in double digits were Joe Harris with 12 points and Luis Scola scored 10. Justin Hamilton and Trevor Booker led the team in rebounding, grabbing five each.

For the Pistons, Andre Drummond and Marcus Morris led their team in scoring, cashing in on 17 points each.