With the NBA on hiatus and New York continuing its battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak, Brooklyn Nets games will not be played for the foreseeable future.
For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.
Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight impressive individual performances and major moments throughout Nets history:
After winning 20 games in Kenny Atkinson’s first season as Brooklyn’s head coach, then 28 the next, things changed in Brooklyn — for the better. And the team was able to reap the fruits of their labor on April 7, 2019 while visiting the Indiana Pacers.
The Nets won each of the first three quarters and only lost the final one by a point, allowed them to secure both a 108-96 win and a 2019 NBA Playoffs berth (full box score).
D’Angelo Russell led the Nets with 20 points and six assists. He also had six rebounds, one less than Jarrett Allen and Rodions Kurucs.
Allen finished with 12 points, as did Spencer Dinwiddie — who also had six assists. Joe Harris had 19 and Caris LeVert scored 18 off the bench.
“It means a lot, obviously to exceed expectations for a lot of us in here, to see how far we’ve come,” Harris said after the win. “It means a ton. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come for this organization.”
Also, on this day in 2007, Vince Carter went off for 46 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in the Nets’ 120-114 win over the Washington Wizards (full box score).