Brooklyn ‘voice of reason’ Jeff Green said it best on Friday: “We owe one to them.”
It was not easy or nice, but the Nets took their revenge against the Pistons, who inflicted a humiliating defeat on Brooklyn on Feb. 9 and defeated Detroit 100-95.
The Pistons did not disappear as they took their first lead since the first minutes of the second with 2:51 left in the game, but James Harden got big when the Nets needed him the most, scoring the last 10 Nets. and the Nets on his back. as the match came to the last seconds.
Harden continued his late cooking skills, with a handy driver to put Brooklyn five points ahead with 19.1. In the next possession, Mason Plumlee linked up an set-up of an out-of-out time play, but the Nets succeed in the foul play and make all their free throws to secure revenge.
‘James got some important buckets in the piece and I’m taking my hat off to the Pistons. “They were physical, played a good defense, coached very well and made it difficult for us,” Nash said after the victory. “We did not make shots, which is not characteristic, but at important moments we could get baskets and stop even more importantly.”
With the win, the Nets not only avenged their loss; they have now won 12 of their last 13 games and improved to 26-13 on the season. They are now a semifinal of the conference leader, the idle Philadelphia 76ers.
To make the revenge sweeter, five Nets finished in double figures, led by the Nets backfield duo of Harden and Kyrie Irving, who combined 42 points.
‘Everyone acted and did a play here or there. “They won plays and sometimes you have to find a way to win if you don’t even have your best stuff,” Nash said.
Harden, who was the youngest Net to hear MVP vocals from the Barclays Center crowd, finished his eighth triple-double as a Net (and ninth of the season) with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 38 minutes. Irving scored 18 points, four rebounds and five assists in the win.
“I heard the crowd tonight,” Harden said. “It was exciting. I’m anxious and can not wait to let in more fans. I can not wait for that day. ”
Landry Shamet himself had an almost perfect birthday game as he continued his strong shooting, with 15 points on 3-of-3 shooting from deep and 5-of-6 in 22 minutes off the bench. Joe Harris finishes with 10 and DeAndre Jordan with 14 and nine rebounds. Nicolas Claxton played 18 minutes, scoring eight points, three rebounds, two blocks, two assistants and a steal.
The Nets took the win with 48.1 percent off the field and 22.2 percent from deep.
As for the Pistons, Jerami Grant put together a 22-point performance, followed by the second round of Nets 2021, Shaddiq Bey, who finished with 13 points in 13 minutes. Detroit fell to 10-28 with the loss.
The Nets opened the game and put offensive pressure. While Detroit tried to strike out six tries in the first five minutes, hitting three, Brooklyn focused their offensive attack inside.
After a time-out four with 6:55 left in the first, Detroit had their offense by former Net, Mason Plumlee, looking for mismatches on the block, but quickly returned to shoot the long ball off the ball movement. After making the first three tries, the Nets kept the Pistons from deep in the first quarter to 0-for-11.
As for Brooklyn, their points were a joint effort in the first place, as all beginners were on the board – led by Harden, who had eight points, four rebounds and an assist in nine minutes. Nets completed the first period with 55 percent, but 20 percent versus three. Nash missed the shootout on Detroit’s defense and the Nets shots.
‘A bit of both. Like I said, I want to give them credit. “We forced some tough tries, but we also missed a number of openings so we could have had more separation if we had had a more typical shooting night,” Nash said. ‘You give them credit. I think Coach Casey does a lot of work. They play hard, they play physically, and we did not have a great game, but you have to give them credit. ‘
The Nets started slow the second time around as the Pistons played more physically and tackled their aggression on the boards. While Detroit opened the second strong, Claxton opened his suitcase a bit and displayed a bit coast to coast while showing his aggressiveness in the transition.
Irving re-entered the game at 7:49 of the second time, providing the immediate offense and creating opportunities for his teammates. While Irving found his place, Harden and DeAndre Jordan made their connection flow, and they connected for a series of clogs and slams.
The Pistons struggled to make shots, ending the quarter with 37.7 percent and a total of about 15 percent. Detroit closed out the end of half of their last 15 tries. Despite struggling to make shots, the Pistons hung around due to their activities on the boards – 24-19 from Brooklyn. Eight of their 24 boards were offensive setbacks when the Pistons trailed the Nets 51-46 at halftime.
As for Brooklyn, the Nets finished the half with 55.3 percent shooting from the field, but only 1-of-11 from the depths. In fact, the four joint tries between the two teams were the least tries for the Nets in the half this season.
The Nets open the third with more energy and a higher defensive intensity, leading to a Joe Harris 5-0 run due to Harden’s handy shot, while Detroit calls a time-out to regroup. up to a point, but with revenge at heart, Brooklyn replies. The Nets finished third on a 17-6 run, which included 11 points from Shamet, to lift Brooklyn 78-66 in the final 12 minutes.
Detroit had the best of the Nets in the first minutes when the Pistons opened the final period on a 7-0 run without planning. The game was tied at 92 with 1:47 left, but Harden took over and scored the final 10 points for Brooklyn as the Nets took their revenge and scored a win.
The movie room
On his 24th birthday, it is only fitting that Landry Shamet may have had his most balanced scoring streak as a net. To shoot 100% from deep is one thing, but to make ridiculous attempts in the corner in the corner are just ridiculous things of the birthday child.
‘The birthday boy – he was wonderful. “He has a hot streak here and it’s great to see,” Nash said. “He made some great shots for us. We would not have won the Boston game without him and we would not have won tonight either. Important performances from Landry and we definitely needed the big baskets he made tonight. ”
Shamet also balanced his score with other shots; a midrange pull-up after being run off the line. Or as you will see below, he created a dribble hand for himself by dribbling all the way to the basket before gently tossing it over the dishwasher Isaiah Stewart. Bonus points for the off-hand finish!
A point with even score scores the sharpshooter more lethally; his widespread approach across the floor to offense forces a defense to second guess, giving Shamet extra room to throw heat-seeking shots from deep.
It was another redemption for Shamet. In December, he shot 25.0 percent; in January, 32.7 percent; in February 40.5 percent and now 47.8 percent in March. And just for good measure, he surpassed Saddiq Bey, the first player the Nets surrendered in their 3-team Draft Night deal. Bey finishes with 13 points, but shoots 2-of-9 from three and 4-of-13 overall.
What’s next
The Nets will get back on track when the team hosts their rival, the New York Knicks, on Monday, March 15th. The match will be presented at 20:00 ET.
For a different perspective, visit Detroit Bad Boys – our sister site on SB Nation that covers the Detroit Pistons.