The Nets could not extend their win streak against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday despite a 44-point effort by Kevin Durant, falling 121-112.
All good things must come to an end, and that was the story for the Nets on Wednesday after losing the longest winning streak in the NBA so far in this season. Both Durant and Kyrie Irving’s offensive efforts could not hold down the Bulls as they collapsed in the fourth quarter to grab their first loss since December 4 against the Boston Celtics.
The Nets came into the game looking to extend their streak as they previously took down the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night in a dominant 139-103 win. Irving led the team that night in points with 27 on 11-14 shooting, while Durant chipped in 25 points on 10-14 shooting. The Nets looked to cruise past the Bulls with the firepower of their duo, but even their great offensive performances was not enough.
Against the Bulls, Durant led the charge with 44 points, while Irving backed him up with 25 points. Off the bench, Seth Curry had an astounding game from the perimeter, scoring 22 points on 6-7 shooting from the 3-point line.
The defense was the real eyesore for the Nets that night, as they allowed six Bulls’ players to get to double-digits. Regardless of holding DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine to a combined 35 points, the Nets were unable to put stops upon Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams who both scored 21 points and 22 points, respectively.
The Nets looked to be playing “catch-up” throughout the entire game, starting in the first quarter where the Nets could not maintain a steady pace to catch up to the Bulls lead. The Bulls scored from everywhere in the first quarter, from three-pointers in the perimeter, to driving layups, and mid-range shots, the Bulls were an offensive juggernaut against the Nets and it continued on for the rest of the game.
The Nets put up most of their points up in the second quarter through free-throws and mid-range shots, but the Bulls were able to maintain the lead throughout the quarter and put up great effort offensively to stay up in points. Durant attempted to carry the offense late in the second quarter with his offensive prowess but his effort only led to the Nets, trailing 69-59 heading into halftime.
The dynamic duo of Durant and Irving showed up in the third quarter and helped carry the offense. Durant and Irving combined for a total 19 points which contributed the most into minimizing the Bulls' lead as much as they could. A 3-pointer late in the quarter by Curry, along with 3 free-throws by Durant minimized the lead down to a three-point game, down 88-85 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Nets had what it took to take down the Bulls and extend their winning streak to 13 games, but both the offense and the defense collapsed in the fourth quarter. Missed shots and failure to get stops on defense all culminated into a large lead for the Bulls midway through the fourth quarter. The Bulls used the momentum to prevent the Nets from getting on a hot streak and pushed back as best as they could, leading to the win for the Bulls.
"I felt like a lot of times we chased them a bit, and that was just consistent throughout the whole game, us just playing from behind. I think we definitely put our foot on the gas in spurts ... but [the Bulls] made shots. They're talented players, special players. When you've got your whole five in double figures, it's tough to stop that,” Durant said after the loss.
Regardless of the loss, the Nets seemed to not seem fazed by their performance as Durant claimed that there were some positives that he saw on the court and looked to take that moving forward throughout the season.
The Nets head on out to New Orleans as they face the Pelicans on Friday where they can potentially bounce back and get on another winning streak.
