Tag: Taurean Prince

Caron Butler defends Kyrie Irving’s decision to comment on Nets roster

Caron Butler believes Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving already know who they want to add to the Brooklyn Nets roster this upcoming summer.

As much as Kyrie Irving has already said he could’ve listed more names when he singled out which players currently on the Nets roster are part of the solution going forward, former NBA player turned-analyst Caron Butler thinks Brooklyn’s point guard said all the names he meant to.

But the two-time All-Star doesn’t mind Irving expressing this opinion, despite what some of his fellow retired-NBA players have said. That’s not to say Butler thinks Irving has the right approach when it comes to improving things in Brooklyn, he just feels the point guard should be able to speak “his truth,” as he explained during his recent appearance on RADIO.COM’s “Scal and Pals“:

This is my thing — and it’s a thin line, now that I’m on this side of the playing field — it’s like, we want sound bytes and we want guys to be honest. But when guys are honest, we don’t like their honesty. Like, what’s wrong with him telling his truth and him being completely honest, and all of a sudden, we critique his honesty. Just like any other individual, we have sweat equity in this game, and we make comments on things we see from our perspective. And he’s giving you an evaluation from his perspective.

Butler continued:

Now, the timing of it probably was [expletive] up, but it’s still a[n] honest perspective from his evaluation. He’s a champion, he’s a perennial All-Star and yeah, he had all types of other things that happened, whether it was in Boston or the way he exited Cleveland or whatever the case. And he might not be the fan-favorite or have the support of the narrative that’s been created around him. However, he’s still being honest in his face. And, look, I respect it. I don’t agree with some of the ways he [is] going about handling this business, but honesty, you’re gonna get his honesty a hundred percent of the time. We may not like it, but you have to respect it.

As for the exact pieces the Nets will add, Butler does not know specific names, but he does believe Irving and Kevin Durant already know who they want:

It’s already written. … Those guys know who they want to play with already. And when they’re saying the five names that means that the others guys are outta luck going forward.

If Butler is right, that would mean Joe Harris, Taurean Prince and Jarrett Allen’s days in Brooklyn are numbered.

RELATED: Chris Webber not keen on Kyrie Irving trying to play general manager

RELATED: Kendrick Perkins questions how Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will mesh on the court

What Nets have learned throughout latest losing streak

The Brooklyn Nets can’t seem to buy a win right now.

The Brooklyn Nets are only two games away from matching their longest losing streak of the 2019-20 season. To make matters worse, there were only two games in between Brooklyn’s current five-game skid and their seven-game losing streak — meaning, the Nets have lost 12 of their last 14 games.

Now, the Nets have played four playoff teams during the current skid — the Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers (twice), Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers — so they’re not losing to subpar opponents. Furthermore, injuries are still a problem for the Nets — most recently, they played without a second big man against the Lakers with DeAndre Jordan (right middle finger dislocation) and Nic Claxton (left shoulder contusion) out.

After Thursday’s loss, Taurean Prince explained what the Nets need to do to combat the constant injury problems, per Tom Dowd of BrooklynNets.com:

We’ve got to realize there are a lot of different lineups. A lot of switch-ups. A lot of things we are trying defensively. A lot of things we are doing as a team to prepare ourselves for a certain way we want to play. We’ve just got to adjust on the fly, be a pro about everything and just continue to do what is put together for the team and try to pull out as many wins as possible.

As for what the Nets have learned during this rough stretch, Prince stressed the importance of not dwelling on mistakes:

Our ability to move onto the next play and not allow things to snowball effect into even worse situations. In these games, we’re right there. Like I said, it’s just minor slip-ups as a team that we can fix. That’s the good part about it, but if we don’t make those slip-ups, we’re in every game.

Kyrie Irving feels the experience has shown the Nets how hard they have to work in order to get to the next level:

We just have to fight even more — that’s really what it comes down to. We have to have that mentality coming into games that although we are undersized at times in matchups — we still have to do the little things — boxing out, getting out in transition, shooting open shots and just making good decisions. We don’t have a lot of room for error. We are going against other good teams – they have pieces out there that are making us work on the defensive end. They get out in transition or we get out in transition – we just have to attack the rim and knock down open shots. I feel like we’ll be alright.

The Nets get back to work on Saturday when they face the Pistons in Detroit at 7 p.m.

Nic Claxton Nets’ lone bright spot in 117-97 loss to Bucks

The Brooklyn Nets couldn’t handle Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton on Saturday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton were too much for the Brooklyn Nets to handle on Saturday. The Milwaukee duo combined for 49 points on 19-for-32 shooting, helping the Bucks cruise to a 117-97 win over the Nets at Barclays Center.

The Nets weren’t nearly as efficient as their counterparts on Saturday. As a team, Brooklyn shot 33.3% from the floor and 30.6% from 3-point territory.

Brooklyn’s most efficient scorer was none other than Nets rookie Nic Claxton, who was called up from his G League assignment with Long Island to fill in for the injured DeAndre Jordan. In his 19 minutes of work, Claxton scored 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting.

The rookie also had six rebounds and blocked three shots.

Kyrie Irving led the Nets with 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting (2-for-6 from deep). He also had six rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Taurean Prince scored 13 points on 4-for-15 shooting (3-for-12 from 3-point territory).

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 11 points. In 20 minutes of work, Luwawu-Cabarrot went 3-for-5 from the floor (2-for-3 from long-range) and 2-for-2 at the line to finish with 10 points.

Jarrett Allen only scored five points, but he grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked four shots.

Nets lose 117-106 vs. Sixers in second game of back-to-back

In addition to losing DeAndre Jordan on Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets also lost their game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brooklyn’s first loss on Tuesday came when DeAndre Jordan exited the game against the Philadelphia 76ers early and did not return due to a dislocated right middle finger. The Nets’ second loss of the night was their actual game. They came up short in Philadelphia, losing 117-106 to the Sixers.

After back-to-back strong shooting performances following his return from a right shoulder impingement, Kyrie Irving went cold on Wednesday. He finished with 14 points on 6-for-21 shooting (1-for-2 from 3-point territory). Irving had six rebounds, four assists and two steals in his 37 minutes of action, but he also finished with a team-worst plus-minus — which was a whopping -29. The next-lowest plus-minus for Brooklyn on Wednesday was -10 (Taurean Prince).

Despite Prince having one of the Nets’ worst plus-minuses in the loss, he had a strong shooting performance. He scored 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting (3-for-4 from deep). Prince also had seven rebounds and three steals.

Dinwiddie led the Nets with 26 points. He was 7-for-10 at the line and 8-for-16 from the floor (3-for-8 from long-range).

Jarrett Allen had another double-double (17 points and 10 boards).

Caris LeVert scored 12 points off the bench and Wilson Chandler had 10.

For more in-depth coverage of Philadelphia, be sure to check out USA Today SMG’s Sixers Wire.

Kyrie Irving leads Nets to first half eruption, 108-86 win over Hawks

Brooklyn barely broke a sweat in Kyrie Irving’s return to game action.

Kyrie Irving showed no signs of rust in his return to game action on Sunday, despite having missed Brooklyn’s previous 26 games. In only 20 minutes of action, the Nets point guard scored 21 points on 10-for-11 shooting (1-for-1 from 3-point territory). His 90.9 field goal percentage is a single-game career-high.

Irving finished with a plus-minus of 22, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists, as he helped lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 108-86 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Clearly, it didn’t take the full 48 minutes for the Nets to put the game away. At the half, Brooklyn had scored 70 points, which is the highest total the team has posted in the first half of a game this season. The Nets’ 70-46 halftime lead is also the largest they’ve had since March 11 of last season.

Additionally, as a team, the Nets shot 65.8% from the floor in the first half. They haven’t logged a field goal percentage that substantial in the first half of a game since early April of 2017.

Jarrett Allen finished the game with an emphatic block. More importantly, he logged his 18th double-double of the season on Sunday (10 points and 12 rebounds).

Spencer Dinwiddie didn’t shoot as often has he had been while Irving was out, which was to be expected. He only scored seven points on 2-for-7 shooting (1-for-4 from three). But, Dinwiddie still had an impact on the offensive end, finishing with eight assists.

DeAndre Jordan was the beneficiary of multiple Dinwiddie assists. He scored 13 points and finished two boards shy of a double-double.

Taurean Prince (14 points), Caris LeVert (13) and Joe Harris (11 points) each finished in double figures.

Prince and Harris had efficient shooting nights, going 5-for-8 and 5-for-7 from the floor, respectively. Prince went 4-for-6 from deep and Harris made one of the two 3-pointers he took.

LeVert was not as efficient as Prince and Harris. He went 4-for-14 from the floor, 1-for-5 from deep.

Former Nets great Vince Carter played in what’s expected to his last game in Brooklyn. He scored eight points and had three steals in 14 minutes of action.

Caris LeVert providing Nets with ‘big spark’

One of Caris LeVert’s teammates had nothing but good things to say about the Brooklyn Nets guard following Friday’s win.

As the Brooklyn Nets continue to ease up on Caris LeVert’s minute restriction, the guard is starting to impact the tone of games more and more.

On Friday, LeVert logged 24 minutes. He didn’t have a particularly great shooting night, finishing 4-for-15 from the field (3-for-9 from deep). But the guard came up clutch late against the Miami Heat and helped the Nets complete their comeback, en route to a 117-113 win which snapped Brooklyn’s losing streak.

In the three games he’s played in since returning from right thumb surgery, LeVert is shooting 52.2% from the floor and 80% from the perimeter, while averaging 16.5 points per game.

Considering the shooting struggles the Nets have had of late, and the fact both scoring and ball-handling has been an issue whenever Spencer Dinwiddie is taking a breather, LeVert’s return was much needed.

Taurean Prince explained to reporters after Friday’s win exactly how LeVert is impacting the team since he’s been back:

Big spark. Just having him on the floor brings that instant offense. Great decision-maker, great teammates. Just somebody you wanna play with.

Caris LeVert helps Nets snap skid with 117-113 win over Heat

Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert made some big plays for the Brooklyn Nets to end the team’s losing streak with a win over the Miami Heat.

Caris LeVert didn’t have his best shooting performance on Friday, but he was there when the Brooklyn Nets needed him most.

With the Nets down six points with 3:38 to go, LeVert knocked down one of his three 3-point makes. Two and a half minutes later, with Brooklyn trailing 111-109, the guard drilled another look from deep after he shook Miami sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, giving the Nets the lead.

From there, Brooklyn never looked back. In the process of defeating the Heat 117-113, the Nets also snapped their seven-game losing streak,

Among those happy to see the skid end was Spencer Dinwiddie, as he expressed to Michael Grady on YES Network after the win:

Thank God we broke that streak, man. It was getting rough out here, I’m not gonna lie to you.

LeVert finished with 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting (3-for-9 from deep). He also had four assists and three rebounds in his 24 minutes off the bench.

Dinwiddie logged a career-high 14 assists throughout his 26-point performance, in which he went 10-for-19 from the field (2-for-6 from the perimeter).

The surprising performance of the night for Brooklyn definitely came from Rodions Kurucs, who made the start with Garrett Temple out.

Kurucs exploded offensively in the first quarter and went on to finish Friday’s game with 19 points to his name. The forward went 7-for-9 from the floor (4-for-5 from deep).

Jarrett Allen was back on track, as well. He logged a double-double, grabbing 11 rebounds to go with his 11 points. DeAndre Jordan also grabbed double-digit rebounds (10).

Joe Harris (1-for-5) and Taurean Prince (1-for-10) couldn’t find their stroke from three, but found other ways to make an impact.

Prince was actually perfect inside the arc. He made each of the seven shots he took from two, en route to a 17-point performance.

Meanwhile, Harris only scored nine points, but he had seven rebounds, including a big one late in the game off of a missed 3-pointer from Prince.

Last but not least, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting.

Nets let another one slip away in 111-103 OT loss to Thunder

The Brooklyn Nets had the chance to snap their losing skid against the OKC Thunder, but came up short again on Tuesday.

Spencer Dinwiddie entered Tuesday’s game shooting 79.7% from the free-throw line in 2019-20. Before his final attempt at the line in crunch time, he was a perfect 2-for-2. But Dinwiddie couldn’t get his free throw to go down, then missed what would’ve been the game-winning shot, which sent the game into overtime.

In the extra period of play, the Nets only scored two points to Oklahoma City’s 10, giving the Thunder a 111-103 win.

The Nets have now lost seven straight.

Tuesday’s game was also the first in which Dinwiddie didn’t lead the Nets in scoring since December 6. He scored 14 points on 6-for-21 shooting (0-for-6 from three).

Taurean Prince led Brooklyn with an efficient 21 points. He went 8-for-15 from the floor (5-for-10 from deep) and grabbed eight rebounds.

Caris LeVert had an uptick in minutes and took advantage of his opportunities — and was, unfortunately, past his minutes limit when overtime rolled around. He scored 20 in 22 minutes on 7-for-16 shooting (2-for-3 from long-range). He also grabbed six boards.

DeAndre Jordan was Brooklyn’s leader in rebounding again. He had 10, which marks the 15th time he’s grabbed 10 or more boards in a game. That’s the most by any reserve in the NBA, as is his average of 9.5 rebounds per game.

Jarrett Allen finished in double figures (12 points) for the first time since December 28. He also blocked two shots and grabbed seven boards.

Nets dealing with ‘crisis of confidence’ from long-range

The Nets have struggled mightily with their 3-point shooting of late. Somehow, they shot worse on Monday than they did against the Knicks.

Brooklyn was one of the best 3-point shooting teams to start the year. In addition to Joe Harris, the Nets had Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert knocking down shots from deep. Taurean Prince also had some impressive games from the perimeter, while Spencer Dinwiddie and Garrett Temple made their contributions.

Even when Irving and LeVert first went down, the Nets shot well from deep. But slowly and steadily, they started to decline as a group.

Just when it seemed like the Nets bottomed out on December 26 after they shot 26% from three in the loss to the Knicks, it got worse on Monday. Brooklyn shot 21.3% from three in their loss to the Orlando Magic.

Joe Harris (3-for-7), who is now shooting 42.7% from three, and Rodions Kurucs (1-for-2) were the only Nets who shot over 22.2% from three.

Brooklyn has a problem and Kenny Atkinson knows it:

I think there’s a little bit of crisis of confidence. There’s no doubt about it. … But that just happens during the NBA season. We’re just in a rut. We shot the ball really well early in the season. We’re not shooting it well now. … It’ll come back. I have confidence in these guys.

RELATED: Spencer Dinwiddie continues to climb Nets’ all-time 3-pointers made list

RELATED: Nets drop sixth straight in 101-89 finish against Magic

Nets drop sixth straight in 101-89 finish against Magic

The Brooklyn Nets cannot buy a win right now. They suffered yet another loss on Monday, this time at the hands of the Orlando Magic.

The Brooklyn Nets could not snap their extended losing streak in Orlando on Monday. They have now lost six games in a row, with the latest finish against the Magic being 101-89.

In addition to now being three games under .500, the Nets have dropped to eighth overall in the Eastern Conference standings, with the Magic passing them following their win.

Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris were the only Nets to finish with double figures in the scoring column. They each scored 16 points. Though, Harris was much more efficient than Dinwiddie.

Harris finished 6-for-11 from the floor, knocking down 3 of his 7 3-point attempts. Whereas, Dinwiddie went 6-for-19 from the floor and only made 2 of his 10 3-point tries.

Garrett Temple, Taurean Prince and Wilson Chandler were ice cold from long-range. Prince went 2-for-9 from deep and Temple took eight threes but only made one. Chandler also only managed to knock down one of his 3-point tries, despite his six attempts.

Chandler did lead the Nets with nine boards. DeAndre Jordan had seven, while both Prince and Jarrett Allen hade eight apiece. But Allen continues to be quiet on the offensive end. He only scored five points on 2-for-6 shooting.