Big 4th Quarter from Kyrie Irving sends Nets to 5th straight loss

Kyrie Irving hasn’t played since last year when he scored 32 points in a win against the Boston Celtics on December 29. Unfortunately for the Brooklyn Nets who hosted the “Super Friends”, Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, Irving showed no signs of rust.

The sixth-year guard picked up from where he left off and torched the young Nets in the second half. He scored 16 of his 32 points in the 4th quarter, leading the Cavs, alongside Lebron James to an entertaining 116-108 win.

Through the first three quarters, Irving struggled from the field. He entered the fourth quarter with 16 points but shot five of 17 from the field. But when it mattered, “Uncle Drew” showed up. The Nets cut what was an 18-point lead from the Cavs to six to start the 4th quarter, down 86-80, capped off by a three from Caris LeVert with 10 minutes left until the end of regulation. Irving then took over.

After two made free-throws, Irving would go on a 10-6 run all by himself. He drained a couple of threes in the eyes of the defense and capped off his run converting a tough contested reverse layup that put the Cavs up by 16, 98-82 with 7:36 left in the fourth.

“He (Irving) loves big moments,” James said post-game. “No matter if a team with a record that they have and the record that we have, games get close he’s going to step up to the plate and its always great to see him come through.”

Despite the Cavs lead the Nets continued to fight. After James connected on a turnaround bank shot that put the Cavs up by 12, 100-88 with 5:45 left in the quarter, Bojan Bogdanovic hit a three-pointer that pulled the Nets to within nine.

The Nets would cut the deficit to within seven on a running layup by Trevor Booker, 113-106 with 1:17 left but by then it was already too late. Despite the offensive success the Cavs enjoyed in addition to the win, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson was satisfied with his team’s defensive effort.

“I know the score looks high, but I think for the pace, our defense was much better, much better than last night so I’m happy with that,” Atkinson said post-game.

Like Irving, Kevin Love struggled early as well. At the end of the third, Love scored 14 points on four of 12 shooting but it didn’t matter. Irving caught fire and James added a sneaky team-high 36 points which included several signature James dunks to wow the crowd.

Whether it’s James or Irving or even Love, the Cavs’ big three are too much for just about anybody.

“It’s pick your poison you know,” Atkinson said. “They just spread you out with their shooting and obviously they’ve got two excellent “iso” players in Irving and James.”

As for Brooklyn, LeVert enjoyed a career night. The rookie out of Michigan who missed summer league and struggled to stay on the court through training camp, due to a left foot fracture scored 19 points on 58 percent shooting from the field. He hit some big shots to keep the Nets competitive late in the game and even guarded James on occasion, welcoming the defensive challenge.

“I love competition,” LeVert said post-game. “I’m from Ohio as well, so I grew up watching them (Cavaliers) play a lot, so that’s someone that I’ve wanted to play against since I was younger, so I just wanted to compete.”

On offense, LeVert said that he tried to stay aggressive the whole game and was encouraged by his coaches and teammates to do so.

“I felt like Caris really stepped it up there and made some really good plays,” said Atkinson on the rookie’s play.

Other than Caris, Booker added a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, Bogdanovic scored a team-high 23, Brook Lopez added 17 and Isaiah Whitehead added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

It’s difficult to find the good in any loss but against the Cavs, the play of the younger pieces on the Nets was encouraging to see and even still, Lopez believes the Cavs are just one of 30 teams that the Nets will have to treat equally.

“It’s important to treat every game like that,” Lopez said post-game. “I know it’s easy to prepare and get ready for a game like this and get up for a game like this when you’re playing the premier players in the league, but you have to treat every game like this. Our next one is just as important. We have to take it one game at a time.”

Nets win game but lose Jeremy Lin to a reinjured left hamstring

Check out the Nets vs. Hornets Video Highlights

With the Brooklyn Nets, you never know what the outcome of the game is going to be. On Monday night, the Nets (7-22) met up with the (17-13) Charlotte Hornets at home at the Barclays Center. The Nets are fourth in the Atlantic Division and the Hornets are leading the Southeast Division. In fact, every team in the Southeast Division has a better record than the Nets. So to think that the Nets might lose this one wouldn’t be too far-fetched.

The Nets trailed the Hornets by nine points (40-31) at the closing of the first quarter, and then again the same point spread at the closing of the first half, Hornets 63 – Nets 54. Given the way that the Nets have been losing steam in the third quarter, it was amazing to see the team keep its composure and close the gap, ending the third stanza with only a five-point deficit 88-83. Equally important was that Nets guard Jeremy Lin re-injured his left hamstring during the third quarter; he abruptly left the game, and the Nets didn’t seem to miss a beat.

It was the fourth quarter where things got very interesting. The Nets showed their Brooklyn Grit; they kept the game close and went back and forth with the lead. Brook Lopez even scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth. Sean Kilpatrick added 10 of his 23 points in the fourth.

As the minutes wound down, and with just under two minutes left in regulation, the score was tied at 111-111. Kilpatrick hit a three, then Hornets center Cody Zeller dropped a cutting dunk to bring the score to 114-113, and then at the 1:06 mark, Nets shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovich hit a three to bring the score to 117-113. With 32 seconds left, Hornets guard Nicolas Batum posted up a three-pointer bringing Charlotte within one at 117-116. Now, at the four-second mark, the home crowd audibly engaged holds their collective breath as Hornets point guard Kemba Walker drives for a layup, but it is blocked by Nets power forward Trevor Booker. However, Zeller grabs the rebound and makes a putback layup putting the Hornets ahead by one point (118-117). Brooklyn calls a timeout to regroup with two seconds remaining on the clock.

When Zeller grabbed the rebound and then made the putback, Nets backup guard Randy Foye, listed at 6-foot-4, was right there; but Foye, no match for the 7-foot center, couldn’t get the block.

But when the timeout was over, Foye redeemed himself.

Foye stationed behind the arc received an inbound pass from Bogdanovich. With just .9 seconds left in regulation, Foye pushed up, released the ball just before the buzzer and drained a three to seal the deal. And, just like that, the Nets stung the Hornets with a 120-118 win.

Making that buzzer beater and winning the game, didn’t stop Foye from feeling a little bit guilty that Zeller got that putback layup to put Charlotte up by one.

“It was my fault,” said Foye, diagramming the team’s defensive scheme. “It’s my fault he got the layup. Trevor [Booker] switched and blocked the shot. I was supposed to block out Zeller.”

“You know, Zeller put that basket down with a few seconds left, but the way our team maintained focus, and our mental strength, was fantastic,” said Lopez. “It was a great validation for our guys.”

It sure was.

Foye’s buzzer-beating three marked his first points in 21 minutes off the bench on Monday night.

In the win, Bogdanovic led all scorers with 26 points. In fact, this was the second game this season that Bogdanovic, Kilpatrick (23 points) and Lopez (21 points) all scored 20 plus points in the same game. The last time was against the Lakers on December 14, 2016.

Booker posted 12 rebounds, Lin scored 17 points before his departure in the third quarter, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson chipped in 10 points.

Brooklyn shot .533 from the field (40-of-75 FG) and .484 from 3-point range (15-of-31 3FG) in the win. The Nets’ .484 shooting from 3-point range marked a season high (previous high: .481 vs. Detroit on 11/2).

In the loss, Charlotte had six players in double digits; Batum had 24 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals; Jeremy Lamb scored 17 points, and Walker and Zeller each had 15 points.

Next, up, the Nets are on the road to play Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Washington Wizards on Friday, and then back home to play the Utah Jazz in the New Year on Monday, January 2nd, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

The Nets put up a valiant effort, but in the end, they lost to the Warriors 117-101

The Brooklyn Nets danced with the stars, but blew a 16-point halftime lead, losing to the Golden State Warriors 117-101 on Thursday night at the Barclays Center.

Minutes before tip-off, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters that he wanted the story to be that his team fought and played hard, hoping that the fans would see Brooklyn at their best and that they did everything to win.

“Give them a lot of credit. I thought they turned up their intensity,” Atkinson said. “They turned up their energy. They were really aggressive on the defensive end, and we have to do a better job of protecting the ball. Obviously, that was kind of the story there, and again I like to give them credit.”

Walking into Thursday’s night, Atkinson had high hopes for Brooklyn, but reality had already set in before the closure of the game.

The Nets held their own for a while: they kept up with the 2015 NBA Champions and looked as if they had a chance to contest. Brooklyn’s energy was on 100, and many wondered if they could keep the momentum up.

Brooklyn tried hard and performed a great first half as always: they soared 65-49 over the Warriors. Brook Lopez scored 23 points in just the first half, marking a Nets season-high for points in a first half. ESPN even noted that Lopez is the first player this season to score that many points against the Warriors in the first half.

But Lopez’s single-player prominent stat only went but so far. The Nets committed 18 of 26 turnovers in the third quarter. Lopez and Jeremy Lin combined for 11 overall turnovers together. Brooklyn choked under defensive pressure and blew their double-digit lead in the early minutes of the second-half.

“It is a young team,” Lopez said. “We did a good job trying to stick with it. But we became less aggressive, and they got a lot of easy stuff out of the turnovers.”

Lin finished 10 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. Lin, who has returned to the Nets’ active roster from a hamstring injury has struggled to find his rhythm.

“They doubled Brook in the post and blitzed Jeremy in the pick-and-roll,” Atkinson said. “Those guys have to do a better job of kicking it out. It’s a work in progress, but we need to find more solutions.”

Atkinson and the Nets did not find a solution quick enough, as Brooklyn lost to the 2016 NBA Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the very next day, 119-99. However, to Brooklyn's credit, it did pull off a 120-118 win against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

Lakers domination over Nets ended in the 4th Quarter; Bogdanovic, Lopez, and Kilpatrick each scored over 20 points in the win for Brooklyn

On Wednesday, December 14, 2016, the Brooklyn Nets hosted the Los Angeles Lakers at the Barclays Center. Both teams entered the contest looking for a win to stop their respective losing streaks. Although Nets point guard Jeremy Lin returned to the lineup for the first time in 17 games two days prior in Houston, Nets fans would not see Lin as he was inactive due to tightness in his lower back.

The first quarter of the game was tight between the two teams and despite the Nets shooting 32% from the field, they found themselves only trailing by three points due to their dominance at the free throw line. The Lakers cooled off in the second quarter and Brooklyn capitalized by outscoring Los Angeles 25-13 ending the half with a nine-point lead (52-43).

As the third quarter began, Brooklyn’s offense was out of sync due to failing to secure the ball, committing turnovers in their first possessions of the half. The turnovers led to fast break points for the Lakers. After a timeout called by coach Kenny Atkinson, the Nets had better ball movement on offense but it didn’t prevent the Lakers from outscoring the Nets by ten in the quarter which included a spectacular dunk by Larry Nance, Jr. The Nets found themselves trailing by one at the start of the fourth quarter (76-75).

The Nets’ performance late in games has been a concern this season but on this night, the team rallied to take the lead. Once the Nets had the lead, they never relinquished it and kept the Lakers scoreless in the last six minutes of the game; ending it with a 10-point spread, the Nets 107 and the Lakers 97.

Scoring 20 or more points for Brooklyn were Bojan Bogdanovic (23), Brook Lopez (20) and Sean Kilpatrick (22), and Joe Harris, the only other Nets player scoring in double digits, chipped in 11 points. Nets power forward Trevor Booker added an impressive 18 rebounds in the winning effort.

On his team’s effort on the defensive side of the ball, Coach Atkinson asserted “I think if we’re going to take a step, that’s where we need to take a step, is defensively, so I was very pleased.”

To further illustrate the change in the team, Lopez stated “We just stayed together and kept our concentration in focus… We haven’t done that at times before, but we definitely had to stick to it tonight.”

Lopez scores 24 points; and Booker, Bogdanovic, and Kilpatrick come up big in the final seconds

The Brooklyn Nets held off the Denver Nuggets for an 116-111 victory on Wednesday night.

For once, the Nets didn’t have a third quarter meltdown; they went into the fourth 96-79.

Brooklyn led by as many as 29 points midway through the third quarter, but Denver closed the gap to 103-99 in the fourth on Kenneth Faried's layup with 4:31 left. And, it was almost as my colleague says, “the same ole Nets.”

"Look at the positive, I think we took a punch, two punches, maybe five punches and we got off the floor and finished it out," Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said.

Yes, the Nets did finish it out. With fans sitting on pins and needles, Bojan Bogdanovic and Sean Kilpatrick each made two foul shots in the final 13 seconds to help secure the win for the Nets.

Here’s the breakdown. Nets power forward Trevor Booker went 1 for 2 at the line with 13 seconds remaining for an 112-109 Nets lead. Denver’s Jameer Nelson then threw away the inbounds pass after a Denver timeout, and Bogdanovic made two free throws with 12.7 seconds left.

After Wilson Chandler hit a driving layup for Denver, Kilpatrick made two foul shots to help secure the win for the Nets.

"It's a confidence boost for me when I know my teammates are counting on me with the ball in my hands towards the end," Kilpatrick said. "I'm trying to make sure I make the right plays, especially down the stretch."

In the win, the Nets had six players score in double digits. Brook Lopez scored 24 points, eight rebounds, and four assists for the Nets. Kilpatrick had 22 and six rebounds, Bogdanovich added 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting, and Booker posted 15 points and 12 rebounds. Coming off the bench for the Nets, Joe Harris chipped in 16 points.

In the loss, Chandler led all scorers with 27 points and 15 rebounds. Will Barton had 15 points, and Nelson and Nikola Jokic each scored 14.

“It’s hard to look back at this game because when you play like that and come back, you just think of all the mistakes you made and the stuff you did to get down, but at that point, it’s a winnable game,” Chandler said. Now we can’t look back and dwell on it too much because we play tomorrow.”

The Nets will be off for two days and then the team will meet up with the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in San Antonio.

Nets lose steam in 3rd quarter that could not be recaptured and bows to Wizards at home on Monday night at the Barclays Center

Before a crowd of 12,529, the Nets blew a 15-point lead thanks to a sloppy third quarter. Brooklyn, who led 66-51 at the half, looked great. Brook Lopez, Sean Kilpatrick, and Trevor Booker all scored in double digits. At the time, the team was 8-16 from the three-point line and 56.5% from the field. Then, Brooklyn went into the locker room. At first, the game looked like fun basketball for the team, who has been struggling without their injured star point guard, Jeremy Lin. What happened at the start of the third quarter was a disaster. The 15-point Nets lead was soon cut into a 5-point lead, being outscored 32-15 by the Wizards. The Nets soon looked like the same ole Nets.

“Their aggressiveness got to us and we started playing a different game. Obviously, between that run and the turnovers down the line, it hurt us,’’ Lopez said. “We were playing well, doing our thing. But obviously, the second half was inversely just as rough.”

Lopez was right: Brooklyn lost steam and blew probably the best second half the team has played all season.

At the end of the third quarter, the Wizards lead 79-74.

Everyone knows that it's not how you start, but it's how you finish. The Nets just couldn't finish the game. They dismantled all momentum built in the second half.

Kilpatrick, who scored 21 points, said his team has to want it.

"The third quarters are kind of crazy,’’ Kilpatrick said. "It has to be a situation where everyone wants to take the third quarter seriously. … We lax in the third quarter and that’s when teams come back and bite us.”

The Wizards defeated the Nets 118-113. Washington was able to gain the only win of their three-game road trip. John Wall finished with 25 points, 11 of which were scored in the fourth quarter.

"I was just being aggressive," Wall said. "I missed some shots in the third quarter that I was mad about. But the defense was giving me shots and I had it rolling and I just kept making them."

The Nets (5-15) are currently ranked 14th in the Eastern Conference. Next up: Denver Nuggets.

The Milwaukee Bucks coached by former Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd, came into the Barclays Center and wreaked havoc on the Brooklyn Nets. Just two days before, the Nets played like they belong in the conversation about top NBA teams when they stunned the Los Angeles Clippers with a 127-122 double overtime win.

The Nets started off staying close; in fact, during the first half, the teams looked evenly matched. The Nets were even up 60-59 three minutes into the third quarter. But the Nets’ the third quarter nemesis showed up and said not so fast, and the team’s fortunes quickly changed. Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks went on a tear ending the third quarter 90-78.

“I think turnovers hurt us,” said Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson. “Just giving them too many easy baskets and, you know, third quarter again – they outscored us pretty good there, so we’ve really got to look at what we are doing there. And we are looking at it and trying to figure it out, but we haven’t figured it out yet.”

Early in the fourth quarter, it was a 10-point game, Bucks 92 and the Nets 82. But, the Nets just couldn’t get over the hump. They had too many missed opportunities in the fourth quarter, shooting 2-for-14 over the first six minutes. Meanwhile, the Bucks knocked down three 3s in less than 90 seconds.

“I think our offense got really stagnant,” Atkinson said. “Give them credit, they switched a lot of our stuff and forced us into a lot of one-and-one play and the ball stopped moving.”

In the win, Milwaukee’s Antetokounmpo had 23 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, Jabari Parker scored 22 points, and Malcolm Brogdon and Tony Snell each added 13 points.

Brook Lopez posted 15 points for the Nets. Sean Kilpatrick, who was signed out of the D-League last season, and who scored a career-high 38 points against the Clippers on Tuesday, only scored 14 points tonight. Bojan Bogdanovic added 13 for the Nets.

This was not a fun game to watch. Only the presence of former president Bill Clinton, a marriage proposal, and Clinton taking a photo with the engaged couple made it interesting.

Next up, the Nets have an opportunity to avenge the loss as they play the Bucks again on Saturday in Milwaukee.

Nets beat back the Clippers with a 127-122 double overtime win; Sean Kilpatrick scores a career-high 38 points

There was no California sunshine in Brooklyn on November 29th when Los Angeles Clippers came to town. Although the weather outside was dreary, fans ventured out in the elements to celebrate Barbados Culture Night and to cheer on the Brooklyn Nets as they took on one of the powerhouses in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers. Both teams entered the game looking to end their respective losing streaks, both looking for a spark to create a turnaround.

The start of the game wasn’t stellar for the Nets as they were held scoreless in the opening minutes of the game. Even though the Clippers shot 55% from the floor in the first quarter, the Nets were within striking distance trailing the Clippers by four points going into the second quarter. Brooklyn continued to trail the Los Angeles for the next two quarters, while the Clippers extended their lead to 18 points.

Would this be a repeat of the rout the Nets experienced at the hands of this team earlier in the month at the Staples Center? Perhaps that prospect was too much for the home team. Perhaps it was the scrappy never give up attitude that resides in the Brooklyn locker room. Whatever the reason, the fourth quarter saw a shift in momentum in favor of the Nets. Nets defense clamped down and a bucket by Sean Kilpatrick kicked the Nets offense into high gear. It wouldn’t be the last time an attendee heard “SSSSS K, Sean Kilpatrick” over the PA system after a made basket because Kilpatrick rattled off 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Nets center Brook Lopez contributed to the run and gave the Nets a three-point lead with little over one minute left in regulation. The never-give-up attitude wasn’t in short supply as Clippers point guard Chris Paul sank a game-tying three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left in the game. Sean Kilpatrick launched a potential game-winning shot for the Nets but it rattled off the rim sending the game into overtime.

The electricity in the Barclays Center was thick, the fans were charged and chants of “BROOOKLYNN!” filled the arena. The start of overtime saw the hot hand of Lopez give the Nets the lead and the Clippers fired back courtesy of DeAndre Jordan. Sean Kilpatrick was able to slice through the Clippers defense at will. The night took an interesting turn when Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was assessed a technical foul which sent him into a rage, requiring his staff and players to restrain him and he was gifted with a second technical foul resulting in ejection. With an early exit for Doc, his team was forced to sojourn without him. Missed free throws by Isaiah Whitehead left the door open for the Clippers to tie the score and Jamal Crawford did just that.

Enter the second overtime. The crowd was still energetic as ten exhausted bodies took to the court. Brooklyn had enough spark to outscore the Clippers 9-4 leading them to victory. The Nets ended their losing streak and brought a little sunshine to their fans. Nets center Brook Lopez recognized how integral a part the fans play during the game, calling it a “symbiotic relationship, just feeding off each other.”

It was the day before Thanksgiving and with dreams of plates full of turkey and stuffing dancing in their heads, thousands of fans brought their holiday spirit into the Barclays Center to cheer on the Brooklyn Nets as they took on the Boston Celtics. Jeremy Lin was once again inactive for the game due to a hamstring injury but the rest of the team was ready for action.

The Nets had a rough start in the opening minutes of the game falling behind 9-2 with 8:53 on the clock with Trevor Booker providing the only basket for Brooklyn. Booker provided the arena with energy due to his hustle on the floor. The Nets struggled from the field and three-point range compiling completion percentages for the quarter of 27.3% and 25% respectively. Unfortunately, sloppy play caused the Nets to commit seven turnovers leading to six Celtics points.

The start of the second quarter saw Brooklyn down by fourteen and it looked like the Celtics would run away with the game, however, Brooklyn pride would thwart such an attempt. The crowd chants of “defense!” propelled the team to respond by limiting Boston’s scoring opportunities and the Nets quickened the tempo leading to Brooklyn fast break points. While the Nets’ shooting woes continued, a three-pointer by Bojan Bogdanovic cut the lead to 10. The three-pointers didn’t always come when they wanted but they were always on time as three point baskets made by Brook Lopez and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson helped the Nets eventually cut the lead to two points at the end of the half.

The third quarter started and the Nets kept the number of turnovers to a minimum but the Celtics were able to penetrate the defense allowing shots from beyond the arc. The Celtics began to heat up from three-point land aiding in extending their lead. The Nets gave a valiant effort but the Celtics never relinquished the lead and left the Barclays Center with a victory, 111-92.

Nets blow nine-point lead; DeMarcus Cousins drops 37 points on Nets in win for the Kings

Sean Kilpatrick scored 22 points, Brook Lopez had 17 points; Bojan Bogdanovic added 13 points, and Isaiah Whitehead chipped in 11 points for the Nets, in their loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. In losing 122-105, the Nets have lost seven straight games.

The Nets kept it competitive through the first half; leading the Kings 35-31 at the end of the first quarter and 59-58 at the end of the first half. However, the third quarter arrived and as in games in the recent past, things began to unravel in a way that no one seems to be able to explain.

“I don’t know,” Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We have to fix the third quarter blues. For some reason, we don’t come out with the requisite and the energy that we need to. We felt that and I think we called a timeout and addressed it, so we need to figure that one out because that’s hurting us. We cut it to six like you said, made a run there with that group and again they made some shots and we turned the ball over a few times.”

That ball movement in the direction of Sacramento translated into starters DeMarcus Cousins scoring 37 points and 11 rebounds; Rudy Gay posting up 22 points and eight rebounds; and Darren Collison adding 18 points; while Ty Lawson chipped in 13 points off the bench.

Most Nets games are generally run of the mill, but it took Sacramento’s Matt Barnes to make a hockey game out of an NBA basketball game by clocking Brooklyn’s Kilpatrick for seemingly no reason. The officials promptly ejected Barnes for a Flagrant Foul 2 on Kilpatrick with 9:34 left in the fourth quarter and Sacramento leading 97-79. Brooklyn then went on a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to 99-93, but Sacramento responded with a 16-0 run of its own to extend the lead to 115-93.

“It was more of a why, why would you do that, but I mean it was still the same mentality. It was the same killer mentality,” Kilpatrick stated regarding the Matt Barnes hit. “You gotta keep continuing to try to destroy anybody that’s in your way and I think that’s something that told me to get up. I mean at the end of the day if were down 10 and I go down like that and were on a roll, I mean that’s not gonna stop me. I mean I gotta get up and keep playing and I think that’s something that triggered me off the way it did. ”

Next up at home for the Brooklyn Nets is a date with the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, November 29 at 7:30 p.m., and still no word when Jeremy Lin will return.