The Nets survived another week of avoiding a drop in the standings, going on a three-game win streak this past week which ended in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. However, the wins that the Nets garnered kept them in the sixth seed, at 43-36, and are one game ahead of the Miami Heat.
If the Nets hold on to their sixth seed spot until the end of the season, they are expected to play against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. If the Nets drop in seeding and end up in the seventh seed, they are expected to play the Atlanta Hawks for a spot in the first round of the playoffs where they will play the Boston Celtics.
On Mar. 31, the Nets took care of the Atlanta Hawks in a 124-107 blowout win thanks to a 40-plus-point game by Mikal Bridges. The Hawks had a good first quarter that gave them an eight-point lead in the first, but failed to retain the lead midway through out of the second quarter and were not able get it back for the rest of the game. The Hawks held another eight-point lead in the second quarter, but the Nets fired back offensively which helped them outscore the Hawks 34-22 in the second quarter, giving them a 59-55 lead heading into halftime.
The Nets did not take their foot off the gas pedal, as the Nets kept on scoring and extended their lead to as large as 22 points after a shot by Bridges to close out the third quarter. The Hawks made some effort to crawl back in the fourth quarter, but the Nets kept answering back with scoring of their own to prevent any late comeback from occurring.
Bridges had 42 points on 16-24 shooting from the field, including 5-8 from the 3-point line, while Dorian Finney-Smith had 19 points on 4-6 shooting from the 3-point line and grabbed eight rebounds. Cam Johnson had 16 points, six rebounds and two steals. Nicolas Claxton had a double-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and two blocks. Off the bench, Joe Harris had 11 points on shooting 3-6 from the 3-point line.
Dejounte Murray had 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals to lead the way for the Hawks. Saddiq Bey had 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals, while Trae Young had 10 points and six assists. Onyeka Okongwu and Bogdan Bogdanovic were the leading scorers off the bench with 12 points, with Okongwu garnering six rebounds, and Bogdanovic grabbing three rebounds, five assists and a steal. AJ Griffin had 11 points on 4-8 shooting from the field.
The Nets extended their winning streak to three in a row after a nail-biting 111-110 win over the Utah Jazz. The Nets were dominant throughout the first three quarters of the game, starting out with a 30-17 lead in the first quarter. The Nets hit three straight 3-pointers against the Jazz in the opening quarter, and did not stop there as they continued to score on the inside, along with making their free-throws, to outscore the Jazz 13-2 to end the first quarter.
While the Jazz were able to cut down their lead throughout the second and third quarters, the Nets kept getting opportunities at the free-throw line and made their free throws to prevent the lead from dwindling. However, midway through the fourth quarter, the Jazz were able to get to the line, which cut into the lead significantly, as they only trailed by one with seven seconds left in the game.
The Jazz outscored the Nets 26-8 in the final minutes of the game, leading to a final play that the Jazz needed to take the lead. The Nets put a stop to an attempted mid-range shot by Kelly Olynyk and could not grab a win over the Nets, extending the Nets winning streak to three games.
Final numbers from the W 📊 pic.twitter.com/50CMaB1bXg
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) April 2, 2023
Bridges led the team in scoring with 30 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Johnson had 18 points and six rebounds, while Claxton put up 14 points and seven rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie had a double-double with 17 points and 12 assists. Off the bench, Seth Curry had 7 points, while Yuta Watanabe and Day’Ron Sharpe both put up six points, with Sharpe also grabbing seven rebounds off the bench.
Talen Horton-Tucker led the Jazz in the scoring with 32 points and eight rebounds. Lauri Markkanen had a near double-double with 23 points, nine rebounds and two steals, while Ochai Agbaji put up 19 points. Off the bench, Kris Dunn had 13 points on 5-7 shooting from the field.
The Minnesota Timberwolves ended the Nets’ three-game winning streak after a 107-102 win over the Nets, which placed the Timberwolves at ninth seed in the Western Conference. The momentum shifted throughout the game, with neither team gaining a secure lead the whole game. Both the Nets and Timberwolves looked equally matched as the game looked winnable for either team and that neither team had a significant lead over the other.
With 24 lead changes in the whole game, there was no surefire decision as to who would win the game up until the fourth quarter where the Timberwolves outscored the Nets 14-7. While Dinwiddie had two opportunities to tie the game at 105 with attempted three-pointers, the first was blocked by Anthony Edwards, with the second attempted three-pointer missing. Edwards shot a pair of free-throws after being intentionally fouled to put the game away in the final seconds and end the Nets’ winning streak.
Dinwiddie led the Nets in scoring with 30 points and six assists, while Bridges put up 24 points, five rebounds, two steals and a block. Finney-Smith was able to get a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Johnson had 14 points as well. Off the bench, Royce O’Neale had eight points, six rebounds and two steals.
Edwards was the leading scorer for the Timberwolves with 23 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, while Rudy Gobert also had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels put up 15 points, six rebounds and three steals. Off the bench, Kyle Anderson had eight points and 10 rebounds.
The Nets look to be closing out the season in the sixth seed this season and are most likely going to face the Philadelphia 76ers. The Nets may be able to take a game against the 76ers, but there’s no stopping the dynamic duo of Joel Embiid and James Harden. This series will at least give the Nets squad some playoff experience and they will be able to take this experience into the offseason and into the next season.
