Tag: Taurean Prince

Taurean Prince ‘not a believer’ in Karl-Anthony Towns

Taurean Prince isn’t buying into all of the hype surrounding Karl-Anthony Towns in 2019-20.

While Kyrie Irving’s 50-point performance in his Nets debut was the top highlight of Brooklyn’s 2019-20 season opener, it was Karl-Anthony Towns who led his team to a win in the 127-126 overtime finish at Barclays Center on October 23.

Like Irving, Towns knocked down seven 3-pointers in the opener — tying one another, along with Charlotte Hornets rookie P.J. Washington, for most 3-pointers in a season opener.

Minnesota is now 7-4 to start 2019-20, and Towns has appeared in nine of those 11 games. The big man is averaging 25.8 points per game on 48.4% shooting (40.7% from three), along with 12 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 steals per game.

With the Timberwolves among the top eight teams in the Western Conference standings, Towns is receiving a fair amount of credit. Typically, that will lead to social media praise at any opportunity — like when he and San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay butted heads on Wednesday.

But there are still some who haven’t bought into Towns. Among this group is Taurean Prince.

The Brooklyn Nets wing took to Twitter on Thursday to offer his opinion on the Timberwolves big man:

Maybe Prince and Towns will have a few things to discuss when the Nets and Timberwolves meet up again on December 30.

Nets struggle in second half vs. Jazz, now 1-2 on road trip

Kyrie Irving had a rough shooting night for the Brooklyn Nets in the loss to the Utah Jazz.

The Brooklyn Nets performed far better in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game than they have of late. They proceeded to build on their strong start by carrying a 68-53 lead into halftime.

The Utah Jazz proceeded to flip the script and handed Brooklyn it’s second loss of the five-game road trip with a 119-114 finish.

Previously, Kenny Atkinson discussed how the Nets struggle to get stops, especially early in games or when they’re also struggling on offense. The latter was the problem in the second half.

After a rough third quarter, things got worse for the Nets in the fourth quarter — yet they still had a chance at the end. They simply couldn’t get it done offensively.

Kyrie Irving took 30 shots. He only made 10 of them. Twelve of his attempts were from beyond the arc. He only made two of those. Not at all a good shooting night for Brooklyn’s point guard, despite the fact he finished up with 27 points.

Garrett Temple got the start in place of the injured Caris LeVert and finished in double figures (10), as did fellow starters Joe Harris (11) and Taurean Prince (15). Spencer Dinwiddie (21) and DeAndre Jordan (15) also finished in double figures.

Jordan (6-for-8 shooting) and Prince (6-for-9, 3-for-5 from three) were the Nets’ most efficient shooters in the loss.

Jordan also grabbed 17 rebounds while logging two blocks and two steals. Irving and Jarrett Allen each had two blocks, as well.

Another notable stat: Harris had a -22 plus-minus. He and Allen (-14) were the only two Nets with a negative, double-digit plus-minus.

RELATED: WATCH: DeAndre Jordan finishes savage alley-oop in Utah

Don’t expect Kenny Atkinson to change Nets starting lineup yet

The Brooklyn Nets are off to a rocky start, but Kenny Atkinson isn’t going to make a personnel change just yet.

Brooklyn’s starting five had a rough go against the Phoenix Suns — to put it mildly.

Kyrie Irving was the only one in double figures. Even then, he wasn’t at his best, finishing 1-for-6 from three while failing to earn a trip to the free-throw line.

Jarrett Allen hardly played because he was in foul trouble so early.

Joe Harris missed all four of his 3-point attempts.

Taurean Prince went 3-for-5 from the floor (2-for-3 from three), but made mistakes elsewhere throughout the game and played a measly 17 minutes as a result — only five more minutes than Allen.

Caris LeVert was the only Nets starter who didn’t have a -20 plus-minus or worse (-15), but he still didn’t play his best game.

While the loss to Phoenix was next-level for the Nets, they’ve consistently struggled defensively in the first quarter to start the year. Even after acknowledging the issue, Kenny Atkinson isn’t ready to change Brooklyn’s starting lineup.

I’m not ready to go there after one bad game.