The Brooklyn Nets are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference with a 34-24 record after winning only one of their last three games this past week.
The Nets have overhauled their squad as they made a couple of big moves at the trade deadline. Since the trade deadline, the Nets have traded away both of their star players in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in replacement for future draft picks and some current players. Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie were moved to the Nets from the Dallas Mavericks in a trade that sent Irving to Dallas. For Durant, he was moved to the Phoenix Suns for Miles Bridges and Cam Johnson.
In his first game since being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden was able to help give the 76ers the victory along with help from the 76ers big man and superstar Joel Embiid. It was a close game all-throughout, with the Nets managing to keep a small lead all the way up to the beginning of the fourth quarter. Up by six points, they failed to maintain their lead in the fourth quarter and were powerless offensively to stop the 76ers.
What the Nets gained in defense, they lacked in offense, as they only scored one basket in the last few minutes of the game. Embiid rallied the 76ers together in the fourth and the 76ers went on an 8-0 scoring run which gave them a one point lead over the Nets. The 76ers were able to gain a 3 point lead near the end of the game which was almost tied by a 3-pointer by Dinwiddie. However, the play was called off and the Nets could not tie the game to send it into overtime as Dinwiddie did not have his fingers off of the ball on time. The 76ers took a narrow 101-98 win over the Nets.
For the Nets, Bridges had 23 points and six rebounds, while Joe Harris had 18 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the 3-point line off the bench. Cam Thomas had 14 points off the bench as well against the 76ers.
Harden had 29 points, six rebounds and six assists in his return to Brooklyn, while Embiid had 37 points and 13 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey picked it up off the bench for the 76ers with 12 points.
The New York Knicks put an end to their losing streak on Monday against the Nets as they completely dominated in the second-half. Both Jalen Brunson and the newly acquired Josh Hart carried the Knicks' offense to create an insurmountable lead for the Nets. A 13-3 run by the Knicks started by Brunson in the third quarter gave the Knicks the momentum they needed to finish off strong.
The Nets trailed by 10 points to start the fourth quarter, but the Nets struggled to put up points as a team thus ending the losing streak against the Nets for the Knicks. The Nets had a clear lack of offense and a true superstar as they fell 124-106 to the Knicks.
Dinwiddie had 28 points, Johnson had 14 points and Nicolas Claxton had 11 points and six rebounds in their loss to the Knicks.
Brunson had 40 points as he carried the majority of the offense for the Knicks' starters. Hart had 27 points off the bench on 10-14 shooting, including 4-6 from the 3-point line.
The Nets were able to bounce back on Wednesday against the Miami Heat where Mikal Bridges was able to have a career-high in points to lead the Nets in their first victory as a new squad. The game was close all-throughout but a significant scoring run by Bridges in the fourth quarter rallied them together to keep the lead throughout the rest of the game to garner the win.
Bridges scored 15 points in a row in the fourth quarter, expanding their lead from 90-89 to 105-96 when his scoring run was over. Since joining the Nets, Bridges has gained the nickname “Brooklyn Bridges” and seems to be getting accustomed to the Brooklyn lifestyle while helping them gain a win. The Nets took down the Heat in a 116-105 victory.
Final numbers from the W 📊 pic.twitter.com/qu4V3ePLc9
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 16, 2023
Bridges scored a career-high of 45 points on 17-24 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Johnson had 18 points while Thomas had 19 points on 6-11 shooting, including 3-5 from the 3-point line off the bench.
For the Heat, every starter was in double-digit territory but it was not enough to get the win as Bam Adebayo led the way with 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Gabe Vincent also eclipsed the 20-point mark with 21 points, while Max Strus had 18 points. Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin both had 13 points each for the Heat in the loss
The Nets seem to be playing well overall as a unit, but significantly lack a consistent offensive superstar that will help get them wins. Occasionally, a player such as Thomas or Bridges will put up 40-plus points but it won’t be as consistent as someone like a Durant or Irving would be putting up similar numbers.
However, the defense has been playing well the past few games, which has kept the Nets in games, but they tend to collapse towards the fourth quarter unless a Mikal Bridges-like performance happens. While the Nets have very little chance of winning the finals, there could be a slim possibility that they could have a chance of landing a spot in the playoffs and go down with a fight in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs or possibly fight for a first-round spot in the play-in.
While the Nets’ current situation does not look bright, it is possible that the Nets could build a great franchise in the future if they draft correctly and get the franchise superstars that they need. A guy like Thomas can definitely be their future superstar if he is developed properly and they can build a nice core around Bridges and Johnson for the next few seasons with Dinwiddie being the experienced veteran that the Nets need.
