At the start of the season, the Brooklyn Nets couldn’t put together a stop on the defensive end. Their offense, however, was as explosive as any in the league, with Kyrie Irving leading the charge.
But now the Nets are without Irving (right shoulder impingement), as well as Caris LeVert (right thumb surgery). Spencer Dinwiddie is the only player who’s scored consistently since Irving was first sidelined in Chicago, but he’s also been off-and-on from three, as have Joe Harris and Taurean Prince.
Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan were able to make up for some of Brooklyn’s shooting struggles on Wednesday, combing for 36 points. Allen also grabbed eight offensive rebounds throughout his 17-rebound performance.
Kenny Atkinson noted how the rebounding efforts from Allen, Prince (eight, all defensive) and Jordan (seven, all defensive) were huge in the win. He also told reporters that the team needs to keep working on ways to survive rough shooting nights:
We’re struggling to score the ball, and we’re gonna have to go to the drawing board and find some solutions there. It’s tough to defend when you’re not putting [the ball] in the whole. … But, listen, I think we’re hanging our hat on our defense right now. Tonight we did. That’s a good start.