Tag: Taurean Prince

Nets lose fifth straight despite Caris LeVert’s return

Brooklyn played well for a while, but the Toronto Raptors ultimately outlasted the Nets at Barclays Center on Saturday.

Caris LeVert made his first appearance for the Brooklyn Nets in over a month and a half on Saturday, coming off the bench against the Toronto Raptors. He missed so much time after he had surgery to repair damaged ligaments in his right thumb.

The third-year shooting guard scored 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting (2-for-2 from 3-point territory). But LeVert’s 15-minute effort wasn’t enough to help the Nets get past the Raptors, who went on to win 121-102 at Barclays Center.

The Nets have now lost five games in a row. Two of Brooklyn’s losses during the stretch have come at Barclays Center.

The Nets last won on December 21 at home against the Atlanta Hawks — who have the worst record in the NBA.

Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 23 points on 6-for-12 shooting (2-for-5 from three). He also had seven assists.

Joe Harris knocked down 3 of his 5 three-point attempts in 18-point performance. He also had five assists.

Garrett Temple’s efficiency from long range improved after he got a day off on Thursday due to a right knee contusion. He went 3-for-8 from deep and scored 12 points.

Jarrett Allen was back in the starting lineup after DeAndre Jordan got the nod in Dallas. Allen only scored seven points and had five rebounds. Jordan scored six and had eight boards.

Taurean Prince scored 10 points, but he continues to be up-and-down from 3-point territory. Saturday was one of those down nights, in which Prince went 2-for-8 from deep.

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Nets visiting Mavericks at odd time

The Mavs have lost back-to-back games. The Nets have lost three in a row. Both teams are also dealing with injuries heading into Thursday.

One team’s skid is going to come to an end on Thursday.

The Brooklyn Nets have lost three in a row. It started with the New York Knicks the day after Christmas, then the Houston Rockets, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Dallas Mavericks have lost back-to-back games. They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, then dropped their New Year’s Eve matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Now, the argument could be made the Mavs are primed for a breakout game because of their recent rough patch. Though, the same could be said for the Nets, too.

However, Nets fans know all too well injuries are plaguing Brooklyn like no one else. This makes it hard to imagine the Nets will bust out. But, the Mavs are in a similar position. Kristaps Porzingis (right knee soreness) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (left hamstring soreness) both missed the game in Oklahoma City. Not to mention Luka Doncic hasn’t quite been himself since returning from his ankle injury (25% from three post-injury, 32.6% pre-injury).

If Porzingis remains sidelined, Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan have a chance to run wild in the paint. Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell are solid, but that’s not a pair Brooklyn’s frontcourt should struggle against if Dallas’ best rim protector is out, or even not at full strength. (Porzingis is averaging 2.1 blocks per game.)

Of course, the Nets can overwhelm the Mavs if their 3-pointers start to fall. Specifically, if Brooklyn’s 3-point shooters in the starting lineup — Joe Harris, Taurean Prince, Garrett Temple and Spencer Dinwiddie — are on. Because, Wilson Chandler and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot have had some solid nights of late, but those two alone can’t make up for a 1-for-10 performance from Prince against the Knicks or Dinwiddie’s 0-for-7 night in Houston.

The Nets’ 3-point shooting has swung in the right direction since facing the Knicks, improving from 26% to 28.2% to 36.6% on Monday. They can’t afford to have that percentage to go back in the other direction.

Brooklyn has a reasonable chance to start 2020 on the right foot, but the Nets can’t expect Dallas to hand them a win just because the Mavs have struggled of late, too.

Tip-off time is 8:30 p.m. EST.

Nets lose third straight, drop season series with Timberwolves

The Brooklyn Nets continue to struggle as they closed out 2019 with a disappointing loss.

A nine-point fourth quarter lead clearly wasn’t enough for the Brooklyn Nets in Minnesota — a place they can’t seem to buy a win.

After losing to the Timberwolves 127-126 in overtime on opening night, the Nets found themselves on the wrong side of yet another overtime battle. Brooklyn lost 122-115, marking their third loss in a row, fifth in a row in Minnesota.

What’s worse is the Timberwolves had lost their last nine home games, and they were without Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins — their top scorers this season.

Spencer Dinwiddie led all scorers with 36 points on 12-for-31 shooting (3-for-9 from three, 9-for-13 at the line).

Dinwiddie also had eight assists.

Tauran Prince had a double-double (11 points and 14 rebounds), but he was not efficient with his shooting. He hit a big shot late, but Prince went 3-for-13 from the floor (2-for-7 from long-range).

Garrett Temple scored 11, but struggled offensively, as well. He made 3 of his 16 shots, going 1-for-7 from three.

The one player who was efficient was Joe Harris. He scored 18 on 8-for-14 shooting (3-for-6 from 3-point territory).

Off the bench, DeAndre Jordan grabbed 13 boards, Wilson Chandler scored 13 points and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot finished with 11 points.

RELATED: Garrett Temple experiencing rough stretch from 3-point territory

Taurean Prince doesn’t feel conversation with Russell Westbrook warranted ejection

Taurean Prince and Russell Westbrook were ejected toward the end of Saturday’s game between the Rockets and Nets after the two shared words.

Both Taurean Prince and Russell Westbrook got the heave-ho on Saturday after they exchanged words late in the fourth quarter.

Westbrook didn’t seem too pleased with Prince after the Brooklyn Nets forward tried to strip the ball from the Houston Rockets guard on a drive. Perhaps the combination of the deficit and the time of the game (20.3 seconds left in the game) where Prince fouled Westbrook led to the guard’s frustration.

Either way, Westbrook got a head start to the locker room for his comments to Prince, and the Nets forward was told to follow suit shortly after the Rockets superstar.

When he was asked what went down on the floor by reporters in Houston, Prince made light of the issue, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post:

The conversation was super-light. Wasn’t anything to get ejected for. But that’s something I’ll have my people talk with the league about. It is what it is.

Nets on the wrong side of 108-98 finish in Houston

The Brooklyn Nets fell behind big in the first quarter and came up short in their comeback effort against the Houston Rockets.

In addition to their slow start, free-throw shooting was a big problem for the Brooklyn Nets in their 108-98 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

Specifically, Spencer Dinwiddie had a rough go at the line, finishing 5-for-11 at the charity stripe. He accounted for six of Brooklyn’s eight missed free throw attempts.

Dinwiddie had a forgettable night from long-range, as well. The Brooklyn point guard missed all seven of his attempts from 3-point territory and finished 6-for-20 from the floor in his 17-point performance.

On the other side, James Harden was an unstoppable force for the Rockets. He scored 44 points on 17-for-27 shooting (6-for-10 from 3-point range). Russell Westbrook scored 23 for Houston in the win.

Joe Harris hit his 500th 3-pointer in a Nets uniform in the first quarter. He would only his one more in his 12-point performance.

Jarrett Allen had a double-double, scoring 16 points while grabbing 10 rebounds.

Taurean Prince had a strong showing from deep. The forward went 4-for-8 from three and finished with 16 points.

Theo Pinson chipped in 11 points and DeAndre Jordan led the Nets with 11 boards.

RELATED: Joe Harris joins elite group of Nets with landmark 3-pointer

Nets mount biggest comeback of 2019-20, survive Hawks 122-112

It didn’t look good for the Brooklyn Nets early on Saturday, but they rallied late to knock off the Atlanta Hawks.

It wasn’t the best start for the Brooklyn Nets, but their finish in Saturday’s 122-112 win may have been their best of 2019-20.

The Atlanta Hawks entered Saturday’s game an Eastern Conference-worst 6-23, even though Trae Young was averaging nearly 30 points per game. The sophomore point guard eclipsed the 30-point mark — by 17 points — on 14-for-30 shooting, though he did struggle from three (3-for-12). He also earned an absurd 19 trips to the free-throw line and made 16 of his attempts.

Additionally, Alex Len scored 23 off the bench for the Hawks, while De’Andre Hunter had 14.

But the Nets were able to survive them and a late 18-point deficit.

Spencer Dinwiddie was Brooklyn’s leading scorer once again. He narrowly missed 40 points (39) after having scored 41 on Thursday.

Dinwiddie also had six steals and six assists, while somehow managing to stay in the game despite being saddled with his fifth foul midway through the third quarter.

The force was with DeAndre Jordan on his Star Wars-themed giveaway night. He finished with 20 rebounds and 12 points.

Garrett Temple went off, as well. He scored 25 on 10-for-19 shooting (4-for-9 from three).

Joe Harris finished with 18 on 6-for-15 shooting (3-for-8 from distance) and Taurean Prince had 12, despite only going 4-for-13 from the floor (2-for-4 from three). Prince also had 10 rebounds.

RELATED: Spencer Dinwiddie sets new career-high in first half vs. Hawks

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Nets fall to Spurs 118-105, lose David Nwaba in the process

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 40-plus points for the first time in his NBA career on Thursday, but the Brooklyn Nets still lost.

The Nets lost to the underperforming Spurs 118-105 on Thursday — the 17th consecutive game the Nets have lost in San Antonio — but Brooklyn took a far greater hit before the game ended.

David Nwaba went down with a non-contact injury early in the fourth quarter. The Nets announced he had suffered a right Achilles injury. Soon after, there were multiple reports indicating Nwaba had, in fact, torn his right Achilles.

Only three Nets finished in double figures, one of which was Spencer Dinwiddie. He logged a career-high 41 points. It’s the first 40-point game of NBA his career. Dinwiddie’s previous single-game career-high was 39 points.

The point guard went 14-for-29 from the floor, 4-for-11 from three and 9-for-10 at the free-throw line. He also had five assists.

Jarrett Allen logged a double-double in his trip back home against the formidable San Antonio frontcourt. He scored 19 points and had 13 rebounds. He also led the Nets with six assists.

DeAndre Jordan also grabbed double-digit rebounds (11).

Garrett Temple was the other Net in double figures. He scored 10 points on 2 of 12 shooting (2-for-10 from deep) while also going 4-for-4 at the line.

Joe Harris scored nine points on 4-for-6 shooting (1-for-2 from three). Taurean Prince had nine as well, but he went 3-for-9 from the floor and missed all five 3-pointers he took.

RELATED: Report: David Nwaba suffers torn Achilles vs. Spurs

Kenny Atkinson not concerned with Nets’ recent struggles from deep

Taurean Prince had an off-night from downtown. but Kenny Atkinson didn’t mind. The Brooklyn Nets tasked him with a greater responsibility.

The Brooklyn Nets have shot worse than 30% from 3-point territory in four of their last five games — the win over the Philadelphia 76ers was the lone outlier (37.5%).

Although Joe Harris (5-for-9) and David Nwaba (2-for-3) made the most of their long-range looks, Spencer Dinwiddie (1-for-8), Garrett Temple (1-for-6) and Taurean Prince (1-for-6) never found their flow.

Dinwiddie was able to make up for his inefficient 3-point shooting. He shot 55.6% from two.

But Temple only went 1-for-8 from two and Prince missed all three of his attempts inside the arc. And Temple has struggled from three in two of Brooklyn’s last three games. Prince, however, went 4-for-9 just two games ago (vs. the Toronto Raptors) — on the same night Harris went 1-for-6 from three.

Plus, Kenny Atkinson and company gave Prince a far more important task on Tuesday. Lockdown Brandon Ingram:

We had him denying Brandon the whole game. We said, ‘Don’t let him touch it.’ And that takes a lot of energy. I think he was focusing on the defensive end.

Ingram went 5-for-7 from three and scored 22, but he went 2-for-16 inside the arc throughout New Orleans’ 108-101 loss to the Nets.

On the whole, Atkinson told reporters in New Orleans he isn’t worried about Brooklyn’s up-and-down shooting of late. Though, he would like to work tinker with a few things before facing the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday:

No, I think it’ll come back. I don’t in the first three quarters we got great shots, honestly. I’d love to take [Wednesday] and work on our offense a little and just go through our plays again and our system. I feel like there’s some slippage there. Hopefully we can get some time [Wednesday] and work on it.

RELATED: Nets survive sloppiness, overtime to defeat Pelicans 108-101

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Nets survive sloppiness, overtime to defeat Pelicans 108-101

It wasn’t their best game, but the Brooklyn Nets still found a way to leave New Orleans with a win.

Brooklyn’s 108-101 overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday would not fall under the category of a well-played game.

The Nets shot sub-30% from 3-point territory (28.2%) and they barely shot over 40% from the floor overall (41.7%). Good thing for Brooklyn the Pelicans were even worse (34.3% and 27.5%). Neither side did well at the free-throw line either (73.9% for Brooklyn and 66.7% for New Orleans).

Oddly enough, though, the turnovers weren’t high on either side (11 for Brooklyn, eight for New Orleans).

Naturally, Spencer Dinwiddie was the one to lead the Nets through their struggles. He wasn’t good from deep (1-for-8), but he came up big late, going 6-for-12 from the floor between the fourth quarter and overtime.

Dinwiddie finished with 31 points on 11-for-26 shooting. He also had seven assists.

Jarrett Allen scored 12 points after failing to reach double figures in the last two games. He also grabbed 14 boards and blocked a whopping six shots.

Joe Harris and David Nwaba were most consistent with their shots for the Nets. Harris went 8-for-15 from the floor (5-for-9 from three) in his 24-point game. Nwaba scored 12 on 5-for-7 shooting (2-for-3 from three).

Taurean Prince finished with 11 rebounds, but he went 1-for-9 from the floor (1-for-6 from three). Garrett Temple struggled with his shooting, too. He made 2 of his 14 attempts (1-for-6 from three).

RELATED: Nets can’t afford to sleep on Pelicans

Nets can’t afford to sleep on Pelicans

A matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans has the makings of a big game for Brooklyn Nets center Jarrett Allen.

The last time the Brooklyn Nets faced the New Orleans Pelicans, Zion Williamson was on the sideline, having just undergone arthroscopic surgery to repair his torn right lateral meniscus. The Nets also had Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert, who dropped 39 and 23 points, respectively, in Brooklyn’s 135-125 win at Barclays Center on November 4.

Williamson will be at Tuesday’s tilt down on the bayou, so will LeVert, but neither of them will be suiting up. (Irving won’t even be in attendance. He and Kevin Durant are not traveling with the team on their two-game road trip.)

As much as the Pelicans have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA through the first eight weeks of the season, Brooklyn isn’t guaranteed to have an easy time at Smoothie King Center (as much as that sounds like the name of a theme park, not a professional sports stadium).

Now, JJ Redick (left groin soreness) is also out, per the Pelicans. That helps. But if you’ve caught a glimpse of Jrue Holiday you know he’s got as much fight in him as anyone.

By no means does that mean Holiday has the edge over Spencer Dinwiddie. He’s just not going to back down. Talent plus determination is always a scary combination.

Then there’s New Orleans’ leading scorer, Brandon Ingram. A solid test for Taurean Prince and Wilson Chandler. Maybe Garrett Temple, as well. But he won’t beat the Nets on his own. Ingram needs Holiday.

The forward also needs either Lonzo Ball or Josh Hart, the latter of which can be a pest at times. (Hart is also good for a solid gif everyone so often. So DeAndre Jordan needs to be prepared.)

Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports

If anyone is going to have a big night for Brooklyn, besides Dinwiddie, it should be Jarrett Allen. He failed to get into double figures against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday and did so again in Brooklyn’s matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday

So, Allen is due. Additionally, he should eat Jaxon Hayes’ lunch every time they share the floor (same goes for Jordan). That’s not to say Allen won’t do well against Derrick Favors — he absolutely should — but going up against Hayes is the type of matchup Allen should dominate every time (two reasons being he nearly has a 40-pound advantage and Hayes is a rookie).

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