Tag: Brooklyn Nets

Report: Caris LeVert participating in shooting drills in thumb rehab

Nets guard Caris LeVert participated in shooting drills Tuesday as he recovers from thumb surgery.

Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert is making progress as he recovers from his right thumb surgery. 

According to Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News, LeVert participated in shooting drills Tuesday. In the video, LeVert could be seen taking stand-still shots from the elbow and around the low block. From what’s shown in the video, LeVert’s release appears to be solid.

LeVert suffered a right thumb injury during the Nets’ loss on Nov. 10 against the Phoenix Suns. After the thumb surgery, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that LeVert is slated to be out 4-6 weeks.

In nine games this season, LeVert has averaged a career-high 16.8 points per game on 42.1% shooting from the field. He is averaging a career-high 5.0 rebounds a game.

Last season LeVert played in 40 games, as he suffered a right foot injury in November 2018.

Over the course of his career, LeVert has played at least 70 games one time. That was during the 2017-18 season, when he averaged 12.1 points per game and a career-high 4.2 assists in 71 games.

With this video of LeVert shooting, Nets fans should be optimistic about his timeline to return to the lineup.

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Nets best Boston 112-107 behind Dinwiddie’s 32 points

The Boston Celtics fell to the Brooklyn Nets 112-107 behind a huge game by reserve guard Spencer Dinwiddie, whose 32-point, 11-assist game repaid Brooklyn’s loss at the Garden on Wednesday.

The Brooklyn Nets held off the Boston Celtics despite a late fourth-quarter surge and All-NBA guard Kyrie Irving’s continued absence, winning 112-107 in an early-day game at Barclays Center.

After falling to the Boston Celtics 121-110 at TD Garden on the evening before Thanksgiving due in large part to All-Star point guard Kemba Walker’s 39-point explosion, the Nets returned the favor with an equally-impressive outing by reserve guard Spencer Dinwiddie.

The Colorado product scored 32 points and 11 assists on 10-of-19 shooting (including 6-of-8 from beyond the arc) in his eighth game stepping up to cover for the injured Irving.

The Duke product, in his first season with Brooklyn after decamping from Boston, had been in Barclays earlier in the day to have his ailing shoulder evaluated, and made a point of sticking around long enough to greet several former teammates with a hug.

Irving saw his new team receive a villain’s welcome from afar Wednesday as fans intensely booed the Australian floor general by proxy at the Garden.

This prompted a response by the polarizing player on Instagram later that night, as much in response to the NBA media’s response to his exit from Boston as the vociferous crowd response.

Friday’s rematch broke Brooklyn’s way however, with continued strong shooting from deep — 17-of-41 for 41.5 % overall — against Boston and balanced play from the other starters and bench.

The Celtics trailed for nearly the entire contest, falling behind by double-digits at several points despite strong showing from Jayson Tatum (26 points, 9 boards) and Kemba Walker (17 points and 6 assists).

Fourth-year wing Jaylen Brown struggled throughout the match, logging one of his worst outings of the season with only 8 points and 6 rebounds while Daniel Theis was much less effective than in the two teams’ last tilt, scoring only 2 points and 3 boards.

The Celtics nearly found a way to get back into the contest in the final frame’s closing minutes, cutting the lead to just 4, but ultimately failed in their comeback bid, their slow start and uneven play forcing the loss.

Boston next face the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 2:30 p.m. while falling to 13-5 on the season.

Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Friday’s Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Brooklyn Nets (9-9) entertain the Boston Celtics (13-4) Friday with tip-off coming just after 12 p.m. ET at Barclays Center. We analyze the Celtics-Nets odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

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Celtics at Nets: Key injuries

Celtics

  • SF Gordon Hayward (hand) out

Nets

  • C DeAndre Jordan (ankle) probable
  • PG Kyrie Irving (shoulder) out

Celtics at Nets: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 8 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Celtics 116, Nets 112

Moneyline (ML)

The Nets did not have enough to stay with the Celtics in the second half in Boston. They will be without Irving for an eighth straight game and it will have a negative impact against the deeper Celtics team.

Our pick is with the CELTICS (-189).

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Boston returns a profit of $5.29 with an outright win.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Boston is 10-5-2 against the spread overall and 6-3-1 on the road while covering by an average of 6.2 points per game. Those numbers are impressive and Brooklyn is just 4-4 ATS at home. The Nets fall below the cover line by 1.4 points per game.

Back BOSTON (-3.5, -125). The Nets expect to keep this close throughout but Boston should be able to close it out late. Boston has to win by four or more points for a $10 bet to return $8 in profit.

Over/Under (O/U)

The projected total is set at 214.5. The Nets allow over 114 points per game. Boston average 110.8 PPG along with Brooklyn’s 112.6. The projection seems low and the OVER (-129) is the play.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @ChrisWasselDFS and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Kyrie Irving sounds off in long, emotional Instagram post after Nets lose to Celtics

Kyrie Irving had a lot to say late Wednesday night.

The Celtics beat the Nets on Wednesday night in what was suppose to be Kyrie Irving’s first game back in Boston since he left the team as a free agent during the offseason. Irving, however, is currently sitting out with a shoulder injury and didn’t make the trip.

His presence was still very much felt in Boston, as fans posted “Coward” signs with Irving’s face on them around the arena and then had many boisterous anti-Kyrie chants during the game.

Boston won the game, thanks in large part to Kemba Walker’s 39 points. It was Walker’s first game back since he was taken off the floor on a stretcher after suffering a neck injury last week in Denver.

Shortly after the game Irving posted an extremely long, 325-word post on Instagram in which he called out fans, the NBA, the media, and the “circus” that surrounds it all.

Here’s what he wrote. It’s a lot:

It happens all the time and Tonight just shows how Sports/Entertainment will always be ignorant and obtrusive. It’s one big SHOW that means Very VERY little in the real world that most people live in because there are Actually things that matter going on within it. Like figuring out a life that means more to than A dam Ball going into ahoop, or learning how to grow up being in a fish bowl of a society based on your popularity level as a person, or even dealing with becoming the leader of your family after someone’s passing and not knowing how to deal with Life after it happens. Buttt, This Game of Sports entertainment matters more than someone’s mental health and well being right? Or the real life things that happen to people everyday but they still have to Perform for the NBA and its fans? Right? It’s all about doing it for the fans and organization that love you so much? Think again, It’s a GAME, and it’s promoted as a Fandom experience for ticket buyers and viewers at home, while defacing who people truly are as PEOPLE. Then spat out all over these media networks as valuable food for thought while they actually believe that their opinions hold weight to real cultural leaders that speak and act for change. One big Gimmick with Some smoke and mirrors! I’ll always be the one that takes the stand and speaks the truth every time though. A purposeful and spiritually led Life will always be bigger and more meaningful than any sports arena or any entertainment space. This GAME isn’t meant to be controlled and shown as a Drama, it’s meant to show the LOVE. Love for the Art is the Only damn thing that keeps the purist people in this Giant Sports/Entertainment Circus. Don’t fall for the Game that’s played in front of you as Entertainment, it’ll never be as serious dealing with LIFE.

Here’s the post:

There’s a lot to unpack there and I don’t think I have a enough degrees to make sense of it all and it’s late at night on the night before Thanksgiving.

But here’s my main takeaway from it – Kyrie has a lot on his mind and is apparently trying to work through some things. Here’s hoping he can.

 

Watch: Former Longhorn Jarrett Allen with the emphatic block and stare-down

Watch: Former Longhorn Jarrett Allen with the emphatic block and stare-down

Tonight, as the Brooklyn Nets visit the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, former Texas Longhorn Jarrett Allen is making his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball. With the Nets and Celtics tied at 44 with just over 5 minutes to play in the second quarter, Allen rejected a layup attempt and gave the Celtics a quick staredown. Check out the emphatic block below:

In his single season at Texas, Allen played and started in 33 games. He averaged 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and .6 steals while playing 32.2 minutes per game. Allen was drafted by the Brooklyn Nets with the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft.

12 former NBA players who went on to coach for the Nets

Jason Kidd, Avery Johnson, WIllis Reed and others played in the NBA and went on to coach the Nets.

The Nets are on their 25th head coach, Kenny Atkinson. To no surprise, 11 of those coaches were former players of different levels. Here is who they are and what they did as players and coaches.

Max Zaslofsky

NBA Photo Library/NBAE via Getty Images

Max Zaslofsky was the NBA scoring champ in 1948 and an All-Star in 1952. Zaslofsky was named to the All-NBA first team in 1947–48, 1948–49 and 1949–50. He coached for two seasons in the ABA with the New Jersey Americans/New York Nets and went 53-103 before resigning in March 1969.

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Celtics fans call Kyrie Irving a ‘coward’ in signs posted outside of TD Garden

Huh?

Kyrie Irving hasn’t played a game for the Brooklyn Nets since Nov. 14, a stretch that spans six games and will include a seventh — a tilt at TD Garden on Wednesday against the Boston Celtics, which just happens to be Irving’s former team.

It’s due to a shoulder injury, but that’s not what some people want to believe.

Remember: Irving’s tenure with the Celts didn’t exactly go so well, and now that he’s been replaced by Kemba Walker, Boston is back to contending.

Which brings us to some confusing signs posted outside of TD Garden on Wednesday, accusing Irving of being a “coward”:

I’m not sure I get it. Either you’re accusing him of being a “coward” for leaving town (which turned out to be a good thing for the Celtics), or you’re accusing him — like ex-Celtic Kendrick Perkins did — of missing a stretch of games on purpose in order to avoid playing in Boston:

C’mon. He’s injured. End of story.

For what it’s worth, the Nets will face the Celtics in Boston again in March.

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Marcus Smart opens up on what happened with Kyrie and the Celtics

Marcus Smart says the Celtics didn’t know what Kyrie Irving was going through last season.

Kyrie Irving’s Brooklyn Nets will visit the TD Garden in Boston for the first time this season on Wednesday night, but the former Celtics star will not be in the lineup, as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury.

The Celtics lost both Irving and Al Horford to free agency in the offseason and added All-Star Kemba Walker, but the new-look Celtics are off to a fantastic start with a 12-4 record. According to Celtics players, there’s a completely different vibe in the locker room this season, and with reports about Irving’s “mood swings” in Brooklyn circulating early in the year, it’s been easy for some Celtics fans to blame Irving for the team’s lost season a year ago.

Marcus Smart broke down what went wrong with the 2018-19 Celtics in an interview with The Athletic, and said the team learned valuable lessons from the disappointing year. Smart says he and his teammates openly talk about their issues with one another, something that didn’t always happen last season. Smart also defended Irving, who Smart says shouldered all of the pressure heaped on the team by the media, all while dealing with the loss of his grandfather early in the season. Smart says the Celtics didn’t know how Irving would react to any given situation, but reasoned that his moodiness was a natural “defense mechanism.”

Via The Athletic:

[Irving’s] mood grew dark enough at times behind the scenes to impact several layers of the organization. He would go through stretches, sources said, where he just shut off. One assistant coach said he once rode about 30 or 40 flights on an elevator with Irving — and the guard did not say a single word. By February, the organization had realized how much Irving’s mindset could impact the rest of the team.

“It’s not that we didn’t know how to act (around him),” Smart said. “It’s that we didn’t know how he was going to act. We didn’t know what his moods were and we didn’t know what Kyrie was going through. And that made it tough on us because if somebody’s going through something in their life and you don’t really know what it is, it’s kind of hard to see what’s wrong with him, it’s kind of hard to (provide) some help. It’s not against Kyrie, it’s just a defense mechanism as a human being you have. And he wasn’t here long enough to really be able to open up the way he probably wanted to, and it probably got to him a little bit.”

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Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Wednesday’s Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Brooklyn Nets (9-8) face the Boston Celtics (12-4) Wednesday night with tip-off coming just after 7 pm ET at TD Garden. We analyze the Nets-Celtics odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Nets at Celtics: Key injuries

Nets

  • C DeAndre Jordan (ankle) out
  • PG Kyrie Irving (shoulder) out
  • SG Caris LeVert (thumb) out

Celtics

  • PF Daniel Theis (illness) out
  • SF Gordon Hayward (hand) out

Nets at Celtics: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 11 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Celtics 119, Nets 110

Moneyline (ML)

The Nets have woken up from what feels like a season-long slumber to win four straight games. Boston has struggled a bit but now has PG Kemba Walker back in the lineup. Walker drives the offense and allows players to assume their normal roles. That should be enough as Irving is still out with a shoulder issue for the Nets.

Our pick is with the CELTICS (-333), albeit at a chalky price.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Boston returns a profit of only $3 with an outright win.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Boston is 9-5-2 against the spread overall and 3-2-1 at home while covering by an average of 2.2 points per game. Those numbers do not sound great but Brooklyn is just 4-5 ATS on the road. Also, they fall below the cover line by 1.7 points per game.

Back BOSTON (-8.5, +105). The Nets could keep this close for most of the way but the Celtics will be able to pull away late. This bet returns a $10.50 profit on a $10 wager.

Over/Under (O/U)

The projected total is set at 217.5. The Nets are still the key here. They have improved defensively (particularly during this winning streak) but still allow over 113 points per game. Boston average 110.2 PPG along with Brooklyn’s 112.7 PPG. The projection seems too low and the OVER (+105) is the play.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @ChrisWasselDFS and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Nets ability to stay connected has carried them through Kyrie Irving’s absence

The fact Brooklyn’s two best players throughout this stretch without Kyrie Irving have been Nets for years doesn’t surprise Keny Atkinson.

Jarrett Allen and Spencer Dinwiddie have been two of Brooklyn’s best players throughout 2019-20, and they’ve both taken major steps forward in the time Kyrie Irving has been sidelined due to a right shoulder impingement.

That’s not to say Irving’s presence on the floor doesn’t allow them to flourish — they both had their share of strong showings alongside Irving. Their play is a sign of their maturation as players, especially the more mild-mannered Allen.

With those two being the ones leading the charge over the last five games, the rest of the roster has had an easier time rallying around the pair because they’re part of the core that’s called Brooklyn home for some time. Kenny Atkinson stressed the same point to reporters following the 108-106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

It’s just how connected these guys are and it does help that it’s guys that have been here for a long time. I think that continuity helps. [Garrett Temple] is kinda the new guy in that group. [Taurean Prince], too. But we got guys that have been here that understand what we’re doing, that helps a lot.

Atkinson stressed Brooklyn’s connectedness a second time in his postgame press conference. He explained it’s why he felt confident about the Nets’ chances going into halftime.

You feel like they were locked into this game. They were ready to go. I thought, physically, in the first half, we did not look good, but I felt like we got stronger as the game went on. But I think it’s their mental approach. They’re a connected group right now. They’re feeling good about themselves. It carried over [and] got us a win tonight.

With their improved connectedness comes improved defense, which plays in Brooklyn’s favor with their two best scorers (Irving and Caris LeVert) out. Now the Nets just need to find a way to maintain the chemistry they’re developing when their injured teammates return.