With Kyrie Irving on the shelf, Spencer Dinwiddie has gotten the opportunity to start at point guard for the Nets.
Apparently, it’s a role that seems to suit him quite well.
Dinwiddie led the Nets in what ended up being a wire-to-wire victory on Friday night, as Brooklyn outlasted Buddy Hield and the Sacramento Kings by a final score of 116-97.
The point guard scored a game-high 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field. He also had seven assists.
Although he performed admirably, Dinwiddie got plenty of help from his teammates, including Joe Harris. The sharpshooter scored 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field, including 5-for-7 from 3-point territory.
Overall, the contest ended up being a relatively easy victory for Brooklyn, as they never trailed. Garrett Temple scored the first basket of the contest to give the Nets an early 3-0 lead, and they never looked back. They led 26-23 after the first quarter and eventually opened up a double-digit lead in the second quarter. The Kings never seriously threatened afterward, as they shot just 4-for-26 from the 3-point line—one of their many problems on the night.
Sacramento was led by 18 points from Harrison Barnes. Buddy Hield managed just 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting from the field.
Kings County >>>#WEGOHARD pic.twitter.com/Cu3U08Vk1A
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 23, 2019
For Brooklyn, center Jarrett Allen was in the starting lineup after being considered questionable for the contest due to some ankle woes, but he managed an 11-point, nine-rebound effort in just 25 minutes.
With the win, the Nets improve to 3-1 in the four contests they’ve played without Irving, who’s missed each of the team’s contests since the Nov. 16 win over the Chicago Bulls.
The Nets will next suit up on Sunday when they travel to Madison Square Garden to lock horns with the New York Knicks.