Kevin Durant had made 62 consecutive free throws, all of them since he failed on October 26 against the Bucks, but he couldn’t handle the added pressure of Dallas. The wing, which seems to levitate down the track, had managed to take advantage of the Mavericks’ risky tactic and took three free throws to force overtime. Reggie Bullock’s foul, intended to be taken before the shot, came after and Durant had a chance to tie it, but he missed on the second down and looked exasperated. The Nets had played a great game on a great night, they had a real chance of being able to stay alive and reach their third consecutive victory, all without the Kyrie Irving sectionhis defense was being pretty good… but it all fizzled out in the end. Durant missed the third bet and the remaining 5.6 seconds began to run. Rebounders from both teams were already on the court. But the ball, coming from outside the three-point line, reached a Royce O’Neal who wanted to pass backwards and had no luck doing so. Dwight Powell steal and Mavericks wins.
It was a meritorious victory for the Texans, the fourth in a row for them to show off a good 6-3 that leaves them just one step behind the Nuggets and Blazers (7-3), also winners on this day. But the improvement is evident for Luka Doncic and company: all have been close victories (2, 1, 3 and 9 points)forged in that defense that is the hallmark of Jason Kidd’s team and with a Luka Doncic who is still in on fire: 36 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in more than 38 minutes against the Nets, with 11 of 22 shooting from the field, 5 of 9 on triples and 9 of 12 on free throws. Doncic was sidelined in some of the final defenses with Kidd, all always after time out, and added 5 turnovers and 5 fouls, but put together a solid performance and has exceeded 30 points in eight consecutive games, all at the start of the season, leading the League in this section and increasing his streak.
Except for the first quarter (29-34 for the Nets), none of the following three exceeded 24 scoring points by either team; it was a very defensive match, with rough and ugly parts, many stoppages and less spectacle: The Mavs accumulated 22 turnovers and 20 personal fouls, while the Nets went to 13 and 26 respectively. Excessive insecurity and too many contacts, but a fight in the trenches that chose the side of the Texans, more accustomed to moving through the mud than their fellow Brooklynites. Of course, Reggie Bullock (0 points, 0 of 5 shots) and Spencer Dinwiddie (2, with 1 of 8) were denied in front of the basket and it was Dorian Finney-Smith the only one who accompanied Doncic on offense (18 points) along with an unexpected hero: Josh Green, 16 points and 5 of 5 shots. There appeared, unfortunately fleetingly, a Tim Hardaway who had 11 in 13 minutes before hitting his left hip. The extent of the injury is unknown.
The Nets can, of course, be bitter about the loss, but the green shoots continue. The victories against the Wizards and Hornets were not by chance, it is the third game that they leave their rival with less than 100 points scored and it seems that Jacque Vaughn has certain ideas about how to handle a rookery that is significantly easier to handle without a Kyrie that is still out of the waywaiting to see how the circumstances develop and already with the label of highly toxic product glued to his chest and back. Ime Udoka still does not arrive and it does not seem that he will do so for fear of a new scandal that Joe Tsai, owner of the franchise, can no longer afford. Maybe Vaughn, who Durant always liked, will go from permanent to interim or the Nets will look at other coaches on the market. But, for now, the truth is that they have woken up and things are beginning to be seen in the Brooklyn team, which is 4-7 but with better feelings.
Against the Mavs, Durant (with some transfer rumor out there) finished with 26 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, but with the memory of that free throw that prevented the game from going into overtime. Nic Claxton, huge in the zone, he went to 10 points and 14 rebounds and is becoming a key element for the team, in someone who stops the rivals in the area when they overcome the first defensive line and who is very safe when it comes to finishing near the hoop. Royce O’Neale improved to 15 points in almost 41 minutes, Joe Harris went to 14 and Cam Thomas to 19 from a short and sterile bench, but willing in terms of effort in the few minutes that the rest had and that counted with Ben Simmons who returned to the rotation after his eternal problems with limitation of minutes: 2+3+2 in less than 16 minutes. Bad thing. The good thing for the Nets is that they show another face, they want to compete, they seem to have fun and they have a Durant who seems more involved in the team and is not dedicated to going to his job, scoring a score and running home . The Nets have improved a lot. And all without Kyrie Irving, of course. And all that this entails.