Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton has done a considerable amount of talking this season. But, he has been able to back up that talk and then some with the way that some people are touting him as a MIP (most improved player) and DPOY (defensive play of the year) candidate.
In Sunday’s 120-116 win over the Golden State Warriors, Claxton had 24 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks while playing a big part in the Nets coming back from being down as many as 17 points in the contest. Claxton was all over the court as he was finishing strong at the basket and protecting the rim with the best of them against the smaller Warriors.
Claxton’s career-highs in points and rebounds were a testament to how much he has improved from last season to this season and how his confidence grows with each game. Claxton spoke immediately after the final buzzer about why Brooklyn was able to pull off this upset:
“I’m definitely happy we got the win. I should’ve had 30 (points). I gotta knock my free-throws down. But, at the end of the day, we won the game. And, that’s what matters. This is a huge, huge win on the road. So, we just got to keep the momentum going. We just locked in on defense and I think they took us lightly. I don’t think they were ready to play. So, we came out and we did what we had to do to get the win.”
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