Nets reaction: Nets prove why they are the top dogs of the East

With no Kyrie or Kevin Durant, the Nets still took care of the Blazers on the road.

The Kyrie-less Brooklyn Nets had to fend for themselves against a hungry Blazers team trying to stay in playoff contention in the wild Western Conference. Without the services of shooter Landry Shamet too for the start of this road trip, it was almost inevitable that the Nets were going to struggle.

At the start of the half, Enes Kanter could not be contained. He played a big part in Portland maintaining a lead in the first half. Luckily for Brooklyn, Jeff Green was turning back the clock by stepping up big time. He tied the team-high with 15 points at the half to help push the Nets to a 67-66 lead.

The second half was just a masterclass by the Nets and James Harden. The Beard finished the game with 17 assists along with 25 points. Nic Claxton had a big fourth quarter, showing why he deserves to get more minutes in Steve Nash’s rotation. It seemed like the underdogs of this game are back to being the big dogs of the league.