Tag: Brooklyn Nets

PHOTOS: Best images from the Thunder’s 112-102 win over the Nets

The best photos from the Thunder’s 112-102 win over the Nets on Sunday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder wrapped up their four-game road trip with a 112-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets, who were without Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons.

The 3-1 road trip has caused fans to focus on the playoffs more than lottery odds. The Thunder are tied for 10th in the Western Conference with the Phoenix Suns.

Josh Giddey scored a career-high 28 points to go with nine assists and nine rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28 points. The young backcourt duo continues to impress.

Let’s take a look at some of the best photos from the Thunder’s 10-point win over the Nets on Sunday.

Nets’ Seth Curry says ‘we’re a different team’ without Kevin Durant

Seth Curry says that the Nets “are a different team” when Kevin Durant is out.

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Seth Curry has stepped up for the Nets all season when the team needed a scoring punch. In Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, he had 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-8 shooting from three-point land.

“I mean, that’s the way we’ve been playing all year,” Curry said after the disappointing loss. “We’ve been kind of playing iso ball. Rely a lot on Kevin (Durant) and Kyrie (Irving) just to create. One-on-one offense is kind of tough to score on two, three defenders.” With Durant off the floor, most of the Nets’ offense comes down to Irving creating something off the dribble or someone else scoring through the flow of the offense.

However, that strategy has doomed Brooklyn in the fourth quarters of the past two games as both the Celtics and the Thunder adapted their defense to force the Nets to play iso ball with the game on the line. The adjustment that teams are making in the second half is that they’re forcing someone other than Irving to beat them and that forces some players into roles unfamiliar to them.

“So, we got to figure out other ways we’re gonna play with Kevin not out there creating shots for himself and other people. I mean, we’re a different team now. So, we got to figure it out.”

Despite shooting 52% from the floor in the third quarter, Brooklyn shot 35% from the floor in the fourth.

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Nets’ Ben Simmons misses Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Thunder with back soreness

Ben Simmons misses Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Thunder, but should be available Tuesday against the Spurs.

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons missed Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder due to back soreness, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn reported during his postgame press conference. Simmons has missed 11 games this season due to various injuries relating to his knee and back.

“Yeah, he went through warm ups, felt some tightness,” Vaughn explained. “And so, that was a report I had and then, he was a late scratch. He’ll be on the trip with us. So hopefully, it’s one game.” Simmons was sorely missed in the loss as he could have been another person to create offense for not superstar Kyrie Irving, but for the supporting cast as well.

Before he wrapped up his postgame press conference, Vaughn did say that Simmons was not scheduled for an MRI. That sounds like good news since it implies that Simmons is only dealing with some occasional soreness and not something structural with his back at this point. Simmons is averaging 7.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 58.2% from the field.

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Nets’ Kyrie Irving says ‘defense’ hurt the team in loss to the Thunder

Here’s Kyrie Irving (15 points on 7-of-20 shooting from the field) reaction to Sunday’s loss to the Thunder.

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving suddenly has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. Once Kevin Durant sprained his right MCL against the Miami Heat, the Nets’ offense became about Irving scoring and whatever he could create for others. However, he pointed to something else as the reason for Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“Just defense,” Irving said during his postgame press conference. “And, I think it was the whole game if you ask me. Just them playing with an unbelievable rhythm and pace and us just not being able to stay in front of the ball at times.” Irving had just 15 points (7-of-20 shooting from the field) as it looked like he ha trouble trying to score against the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort.

The fourth quarter was where Brooklyn lost the game and that’s similar to what happened Thursday against the Boston Celtics. “And, just a little 50/50 detail plays that I was talking about against Boston,” Irving continued. “I mean, you look at that game, there were so many controllable plays that could have gone to us. It’s a heck of a effort that you put forth, when you play defense for 22 seconds, 23 seconds, and they come in and get the rebound, you know, takes the air out of the out of the building a little bit not of our team.”

Even though Brooklyn out-rebounded Oklahoma City 51-50, the Nets allowed the Thunder to get 11 offensive rebounds and score 10 fast-break points which could have been the difference in the game. Brooklyn’s next game is Tuesday at the San Antonio Spurs.

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NBA Twitter reacts to Nets’ uninspiring 112-102 loss to the Thunder

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Nets losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Oklahoma City Thunder to Barclays Center on Sunday and lost 112-102. This is the first of two meetings between the teams this regular-season. Oklahoma now leads the series 1-0.

For the Nets, Seth Curry had 23 points off the bench and Nic Claxton had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks. Royce O’Neale had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists while Kyrie Irving had 15 points.

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and seven rebounds while Josh Giddey had 28 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Lu Dort had 22 points and Isaiah Joe had nine points off the bench.

In almost a repeat of the loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday, the Nets were competitive for the first three quarters and was up by 10 points at one point. There were too many times where Brooklyn forgot to cover someone, whether at the three-point line or at the rim, and it doomed them in the end.

As has been the case throughout this season, Brooklyn had trouble limiting dribble penetration. Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey were able to get to the rim at will and even with Claxton having four blocks, the Nets struggled to defend the paint. Nets guard Ben Simmons was a late scratch for this game due to back soreness.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Nets’ loss:

Player grades: SGA, Josh Giddey lead Thunder to 112-102 win over KD-less Nets

Player grades for the Thunder’s 112-102 win over the Nets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are officially in the play-in tournament race.

Following an impressive 37-22 fourth-quarter advantage that capped the Thunder’s third consecutive win and wrapped up a four-game road trip with a 3-1 record, the Thunder are tied with the Phoenix Suns (21-23) for 10th in the Western Conference.

That means with 38 games left in their season, the Thunder are in the playoff race.

The Thunder left New York with a 112-102 win over the red-hot Brooklyn Nets, who were 18-3 in their previous 21 games entering Sunday.

The Thunder played a close contest against the Nets, who were missing Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons. Durant continues to miss time with an MCL sprain, and Simmons was a late scratch due to back soreness.

The game offered 16 lead changes and seven ties. Neither team led by more than 12 points.

Promisingly, the non-SGA lineups continued to hold their own.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sitting the first six minutes of the final quarter in a five-point game, Josh Giddey led a 24-12 run. Giddey finished with 11 points and three assists in 10 fourth-quarter minutes.

On the night, Giddey scored a career-high 28 points. Gilgeous-Alexander also finished with 28 points. OKC’s young backcourt combined for an impressive 56 points.

The Thunder shot 44-of-90 (44.4%) from the field and went 12-of-31 (38.7%) from 3. The trio of Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey and Lu Dort combined to score 78 of OKC’s 112 points.

For the Nets, they shot an inefficient 39-of-91 (42.9%) from the field and went a cold 12-of-41 (29.3%) from 3.

Seth Curry led the Nets in scoring with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting off the bench. Nic Claxton collected 17 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double. Kyrie Irving was held to 15 points on 7-of-20 shooting and 1-of-7 from 3.

The Thunder left Oklahoma City for an extensive road trip with many looking at the reverse standings and lottery odds. They return to Oklahoma City a little over a week later with the focus shifted to where they stand in the actual NBA standings.

Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.

Player grades: Seth Curry scores 23 in Nets’ demoralizing 112-102 loss to the Thunder

Here are your Nets player grades for Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Oklahoma City Thunder to Barclays Center on Sunday and lost 112-102. This is the first of two meetings between the teams this regular-season. Oklahoma now leads the series 1-0.

For the Nets, Seth Curry had 23 points off the bench and Nic Claxton had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks. Royce O’Neale had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists while Kyrie Irving had 15 points.

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and seven rebounds while Josh Giddey had 28 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Lu Dort had 22 points and Isaiah Joe had nine points off the bench.

In almost a repeat of the loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday, the Nets were competitive for the first three quarters and was up by 10 points at one point. There were too many times where Brooklyn forgot to cover someone, whether at the three-point line or at the rim, and it doomed them in the end.

As has been the case throughout this season, Brooklyn had trouble limiting dribble penetration. Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey were able to get to the rim at will and even with Claxton having four blocks, the Nets struggled to defend the paint. Nets guard Ben Simmons was a late scratch for this game due to back soreness.

Here are your Nets player grades:

Thunder vs. Nets: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Sunday

Thunder at Nets: How to watch, lineups, injury reports and broadcast for Sunday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder play the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Thunder (20-23) wrap up their four-game road trip by playing the Nets (27-14).

In their last game, the Thunder continue to climb up the standings with an impressive win over the Chicago Bulls. The Thunder sit just half a game back from the Play-In tournament.

Meanwhile, the Nets have turned their season around, going 18-3 in their last 21 games. Although, their last game saw them lose to the Boston Celtics as they continue to be without Kevin Durant with an MCL sprain.

Nets vs. Thunder game preview: How to watch, TV channel, start time

Here’s the preview of Nets-Thunder on Sunday.

The Brooklyn Nets (27-14, second in the Eastern Conference) host the Oklahoma City Thunder (20-23, 11th in the Western Conference) at Barclays Center on Sunday for the first of two matchups this season.

Coming into this game, the Nets are trying to figure out what team they are going to be while superstar Kevin Durant is out with his right MCL sprain. In their most recent game, a 109-98 home loss to the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn was competitive for three quarters. However, in the fourth quarter, it was clear that the Nets will have to find different ways to generate offense.

Oklahoma City has been playing better basketball as of late. The Thunder have won nine of its past 14 games and has recently had impressive wins over the Boston Celtics (by 33 points), the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Chicago Bulls. The last time these teams played each other, on Jan. 13, 2022, the Thunder won 130-109 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 33 points.

Here’s when and where you can tune in to see the matchup:

Brooklyn Nets projected to take Xavier’s Colby Jones in first round of 2023 NBA Draft

With a look to 2023, the Brooklyn Nets could take Xavier’s Colby Jones in the first round.

The Brooklyn Nets are projected to take Xavier guard Colby Jones in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, according to an article published by Cody Taylor of Rookie Wire on Friday. As of the writing of the article, the Nets were projected to have the #24 overall pick via the Philadelphia 76ers that came as a result of trading James Harden to Philadelphia last season.

Jones, a junior, is averaging 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and 44.7% from behind the three-point line. He has shown the ability to run an offense and also to be able to contribute to his team with more than just passing the ball.

Xavier has a 14-3 record (6-0 in the Big East Conference) and is ranked as the 12th-best team in the country according to the Associated Press poll. Here’s what Taylor had to say about Jones and why the Nets are projected to select him:

“Jones is another player that has put himself on teams’ radars with a strong first half of the season. He is averaging 14.4 points, 5.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 16 games on 44.7% shooting from the field. He has established himself as one of the top floor generals in the country with his vision and passing ability. He can also create for himself on offense and get into the paint. As a junior, Jones is one of the more experienced players likely to be taken in the first round and teams should love his maturity and unselfishness.”

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