Tag: brooklyn nets

Nets ‘can’t get used to losing’ as search for fix to struggles drags on

NEW ORLEANS — It’s a new year.

Will it be the same old Nets?

As the calendar flips and the Nets put 2023 behind them, they’re hoping to leave the struggles in the past as well.

But that’s going to take work.

And trust.

And more internal fortitude than they’ve been showing.

“Yeah, it’s really what we talked about the beginning of the year: Can we be a team that plays extremely hard every single night?” coach Jacque Vaughn said as his Nets prepare for Tuesday’s tilt with the Pelicans. “So, going back to some of the pillars that we talked about at the beginning of the year: Being physical and connected and versatile as a group, and enjoying what we do for a living.

Jacque Vaughn said the Nets need to return to some of the “pillars” they discussed at the beginning of the season. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

“So that’s the challenge for our group to hopefully finish the year this way, and with that message and then go into the new year.”

The Nets limped into New Orleans and the new year losers of eight of their last 10.

“Just energy, getting to the ball, maybe picking up full court some. It’s on everybody; it’s on me too. Just being locked in, being there for your teammates,” Nic Claxton said.

“We just can’t get used to losing. Need to figure out solutions and figure out ways to fix it.”

It clearly needs fixing.

Their defensive rating (122.7) and net rating (minus-9.3) are both fourth-worst in the league over that span.

It’s a damning indictment that those numbers aren’t a shock anymore, that end of the court being a season-long issue.

But in this extended funk, they’re next-to-last in both effective field-goal percentage (.505) and true shooting (.540).

“We can’t give up 120-plus points every game, and we’ve just got to figure out a way offensively to attack the rim more,” Claxton said. “I don’t know; I guess we’ve just got to hit shots and then get stops.”

Center Nic Claxton said the Nets can’t “get used to losing” despite their recent skid. AP

So both ends are a mess right now.

Sunday’s loss at OKC actually saw the Nets share the ball and get the shot profile they wanted, but miss good look after good look, 12 of 46 from behind the arc.

League average for left corner 3s is .392.

The Nets made just 1 of 8.

Average from the right corner is .394; yet they were somehow even worse at 1 of 9.

But more troubling is the Nets have started letting bad fortune on offense turn into bad form on defense. It’s a mental frailty they can ill afford.

“We’ve got to do what we’re supposed to do; just follow the game plan, follow our defense. We just have lapses in what we’re supposed to do,” said Mikal Bridges, who went 0 of 5 on corner 3s on Sunday. “We’ve just got to help each other when one person messes up. But it’s tough. We’ve just got to all be five guys out there on a string defensively, and knowing where to be at all times.”

The Nets have struggled with defensive issues, but their offensive numbers haven’t been impressive, either. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

All too often lately, they’ve let go of the rope.

Or seen it snap altogether.

“[The key] is just staying constant, still trusting the process, trusting each other,” said Cam Thomas. “[Sunday] we had good looks, good offense, the ball was moving: We just weren’t making shots. … Defensively, we’re still growing in that aspect, still figuring out what works for our team.”

Talk quietly with players and the word ‘trust’ keeps coming up.

It’s an area they desperately need to grow in.

“A lot obviously. A lot,” Thomas said. “Obviously everybody feels like if nobody has your back on a rotation then we’re not going to help as much. That’s with anybody. So obviously that’s a part of it we can still grow.

“But I’d say not getting down when teams go on runs, that’s the main thing. It’s the NBA; everybody goes on runs. But we can’t get down, start putting our heads down just because a team goes on an 8-0, 10-0 run. Whether coach calls a timeout or not, just push the ball and get a good shot up, make or miss. Just keep playing, because the tables will turn. It’s a basketball game. Everybody has a run, so we’ve just got to stay focused and not get down when teams go on runs.”

Dorian Finney-Smith was added to the Nets’ injury list, probable with left knee soreness.

Ben Simmons (left lower back — nerve impingement) and Lonnie Walker IV (left hamstring strain) are both still out.

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LaMarcus Aldridge references Tom Brady in second retirement

LaMarcus Aldridge has called it quits — again –after a 16-season NBA career.

Similar to Tom Brady, another No. 12, this was the second time the seven-time All-Star has announced a retirement.

“In the words of TB12, you only get one big, emotional retirement… so, on that note…I’m thankful for all the memories, family and friends I made throughout my career,” Aldridge tweeted out on Friday afternoon. “It was one hell of a ride and I enjoyed every min!”

The 37-year-old center has not played this season.

Brady retired from the NFL after the 2022 season, his 23rd, after winning seven Super Bowls with the Buccaneers and Patriots — and a 40-day retirement following the 2021 season.

Aldridge stepped away from the game momentarily during the 2020-2021 season after being concerned about his irregular heartbeat.

“My last game I played while dealing with an irregular heartbeat. Later on that night, my rhythm got even worse, which really worried me even more. The next morning I told the team what was going on and they were great getting me to the hospital and getting me checked out,” He wrote on social media back in 2021.


Aldridge won the 2006-07 Rookie of the Year award to go along with being a seven-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA teamer.
Getty Images

“With that being said, I’ve made the difficult decision to retire from the NBA. For 15 years, I’ve put basketball first and now, it’s time to put my health and family first.”

Once he was medically cleared to return to play, however, he re-joined the Nets on a one-year deal, averaging 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in what turned out to be his final professional season.

Coming out of his playing career at Texas, Aldridge was picked second overall in the 2006 draft by the Blazers.


Tom Brady retired after the 2021 season — for 40 days.
Getty Images

He would spend nine seasons in Portland before signing with the Spurs in 2015.

Aldridge’s best seasons were his last two in Portland from 2013-15, in which he averaged 23.2 points and 11.1 rebounds, which was followed by 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds.

Overall, the Texas native averaged 19.1 points and 8.1 rebounds through the entirety of his career, making for a solid tenure.

Now the question is if Aldridge did enough to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame or not; according to Basketball Reference, he has a 50.9% of making it.



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Ben Simmons’ injury-filled Nets season is over

Ben Simmons’ 2022-23 season has officially ended.

The 26-year-old won’t play again for the Nets this season, head coach Jacque Vaughn said Tuesday.

Simmons will start a rehab program for his ailing back.

Doctors haven’t recommended surgery and a procedure is “not in sight,” according to Vaughn.

“Our doctors and the specialists feel and think that he’ll have a full recovery,” Vaughn said, “so that starts now.”

Vaughn’s comments essentially confirmed what appeared the most likely scenario after Simmons was diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back Friday — in addition to the list of knee and back problems that have derailed his season and sidelined him since the All-Star break.

Simmons appeared in just 42 games and averaged 6.9 points and 26.3 minutes per game, with all three numbers serving as career-lows.


Ben Simmons is out for the season
USA TODAY Sports

When Simmons started his strengthening program in late February, shortly after the Nets returned from their All-Star break, Vaughn said the goal was to get him back on the court.

During what Vaughn labeled a “reassessment” phase, though, the nerve impingement was revealed.

That led to Simmons visiting with specialists — which then snowballed into the latest development Tuesday.


Ben Simmons’ season was impacted by injuries
Noah K. Murray for the NY Post

Despite the latest setback, Vaughn said the Nets’ aim is still “to be involved” with Simmons, who was once a rising star with the 76ers.

“I want to coach Ben and I want to be able to push Ben to get back to all-defensive team and impact our team on both ends of the floor,” Vaughn said. “So that’s definitely the goal going forward.”

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Jacque Vaughn increasing Nets starters’ minutes ahead of playoffs

In a normal year, as the regular season winds down, Jacque Vaughn would want to begin increasing his starters’ minutes for the playoffs.

It appears he started that process a bit early this season.

The 2022-23 campaign has been anything but normal for the Nets.

Brooklyn has leaned heavily on its starters and sixth man Royce O’Neale the last couple of weeks, and Vaughn has repeated that the approach is “definitely something I’m cognizant of” as he pieces together a lineup with four new starters following the trade deadline.

In Sunday’s win against the Hornets, Mikal Bridges played 40 minutes, 58 seconds, which was still less than what he logged against the Celtics (42:45) two nights prior.

“In the past … we’ve played our guys not as many minutes, and then as the playoffs start to come around, we wanted to ramp those guys up so they can play, quote-unquote, playoff minutes,” Vaughn said. “I’m trying to hedge that a little bit with the short time between regular season and this group being together and playoffs.”


Mikal Bridges drives to the basket against the Hornets on Sunday at Barclays Center.
Robert Sabo for the NY Post

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn is ramping up playing time to prepare his starters for the playoffs.
Noah K. Murray for the NY Post

Outside of O’Neale, Brooklyn has trimmed its rotation, and that has led to limited court time for Seth Curry, Joe Harris, Yuta Watanabe and Cam Thomas, among others, with the exception of blowouts.

Thomas, who compiled three consecutive 40-point outbursts leading up to the trade deadline, has been on the court for only 13:47 the last two games.

Watanabe, with the exception of Sunday when the Nets built a 30-point lead, had disappeared from the rotation altogether.

“I’m cool playing a lot of minutes,” Bridges said Sunday. “If you ask anybody when I was in Phoenix, got nothing wrong with it at all. I just want to go out there and just do the best I can, help the team win.”

It took nearly a month, but Cameron Johnson has finally started to settle into a rhythm for the Nets.

The 27-year-old guard, who will be a restricted free agent after the season, has topped 20 points in three of his past five games, while also recording a double-double against the Hornets — Johnson’s first since his rookie season and third of his career — with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Johnson said he has figured out where his shots in the Nets’ offense will originate from.

“He’s shown a little bit of everything,” Vaughn said. “His ability to handle the basketball, play pick-and-roll. His ability to shoot the ball off the bounce in transition. So some things that I’m growing to understand and learn about him. “I feel comfortable putting the ball in his hands.”

The Nets ruled Ben Simmons out for Tuesday’s game against the Rockets, though Edmond Sumner who had missed three games for the birth of his child, and Nerlens Noel, who signed his 10-day contract Monday, aren’t listed on the team’s injury report, meaning they should be available.

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Spencer Dinwiddie would take extra ‘pride’ winning title for Nets

Spencer Dinwiddie is back in Brooklyn — and so is his sense of humor.

Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith joined the Nets on Tuesday after they were acquired from the Mavericks in the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Dallas. And when Dinwiddie, who played for the Nets from 2016-21, walked into their introductory press conference, he noted, “Hey, there’s more of you than there used to be.”

He explained the acquisition of him and Finney-Smith: “I understand that we might not be the best trade package, but we’re the best looking. And the Nets need some help in that department.”

Clearly Dinwiddie has kept the same wit he flashed during is first stint in Brooklyn. In some ways, it was his torn ACL just three games into his final season off 2020-21 that set the Nets down the path they’ve been on. That season-ending injury precipitated the Nets’ trade for James Harden.

Dinwiddie was traded to Washington in August 2021, then moved on to Dallas, and now is back where his ascension to legitimate NBA starter began.


Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie (26) and son Elijah during the first half of the Nets’ game against the Suns on Monday.
Robert Sabo for NY Post

“That was crazy cause we were rolling people through preseason, through the first couple games, I got hurt, then obviously the trade went down, understandably so. Being in win-now mode, when you’ve got possibly the greatest scorer of all time. It’s a blessing to play competitive basketball,” Dinwiddie said. “I have no interest in playing losing basketball and understand the type of talent we have.

“It’s gonna be fun, and yeah to a degree it is a second bite of the apple. And although I wanted to win one for Dallas, obviously there’s a certain level of pride there would be to bring a championship to Brooklyn over any other organization in the league. … It’d still be more prideful doing it here, just because in a lot of ways it made my career. So, proud to be back, happy to be back and always appreciative.”

Finney-Smith — who grew up near his new teammate Cam Thomas in Virginia, and said the Nets guard has always been “a bucket” — is a defense-minded forward who can guard 3 through 5.

“I plan on guarding the best player on the court, I take the challenge in that,” Finney-Smith said. “You ain’t got to draw up a play for me. I’m going to find ways to get involved and be aggressive. Just a winning mentality, I’m going to bring that to the team.”


Dorian Finney-Smith (l.) and Spencer Dinwiddie on the Nets bench on Tuesday night.
Robert Sabo for NY Post

Dinwiddie gushed over Finney-Smith, saying: “[He] picks up full court, guards a big, shoots 40 percent from 3 in a normal year, rangy, athletic. I ain’t met a guy he can’t guard … outside of me.”

Cam Thomas, after scoring 43 points in the Nets’ 116-112 loss to the Suns on Tuesday night, is the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 or more points in three consecutive games, at 21 years, 117 days. He’s the first player in the Nets’ NBA history to top 40 in three straight.

Ben Simmons returned to the Nets’ lineup after missing the previous five games with left knee soreness, but he was underwhelming.

He played 26:30, but scored just two points. He did finish with four rebounds and six assists, but also turned the ball over four times.

The Nets acquired the draft rights to David Michineau, 28, from the Kings in exchange for Kessler Edwards and cash. Michineau, who was drafted by the Pelicans in the second round in 2016, plays for Napoli Basket in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A.

Two-way David Duke Jr. will participate in the G-League Next Up Game on Feb. 19 (3 p.m.) during All-Star Weekend.

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Kyrie Irving felt ‘disrespected’ by Nets before Mavericks trade

When it came to Kyrie Irving forcing his way out of Brooklyn, the now former Net said he wanted to be somewhere he felt “celebrated” rather than “tolerated.”

Irving met with the media Tuesday for the first time since being traded to the Mavericks on Sunday.

“I just know I wanna be places where I’m celebrated and not just tolerated or just dealt with in a way that doesn’t make me feel respected,” Irving said. “There were times throughout this process when I was in Brooklyn where I felt very disrespected.

“I work extremely hard at what I do. No one ever talks about my work ethic, though. Everyone talks about what I’m doing off the floor.”

Off the floor is where Irving got himself into hot water, though, be it with his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which meant he wasn’t available for 35 Nets home games last season, or with his endorsement of an anti-Semitic film this season and subsequent initial obstinance toward an apology afterward that ultimately led to a suspension.

Asked what specifically the Nets did to make him feel the way he did, Irving declined to say.

“That’s another day where I could really go into detail about it,” he said.

Ultimately the Nets decided they’d heard enough and that Irving wasn’t worth the trouble, despite his averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds this season. After Irving demanded last week to be dealt by the Feb. 9 deadline or he’d walk in free agency this summer, Brooklyn shipped the eight-time All-Star, along with veteran big man Markieff Morris, to the Mavericks for guard Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick and 2027 and 2029 second-rounders.


The Nets traded Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks earlier this week.
AP

Irving’s three-plus-year Nets career lasted just 143 out of a possible 280 games.

He added that while he didn’t feel the organization respected him, he doesn’t hold anything against anyone there, citing close relationships he said he still maintains with people from previous teams in Cleveland and Boston.

“I need healthy boundaries,” Irving said. “There’s a lot of disrespect that goes on with people’s families, with their names. … It’s nothing personal against any of those guys in the front office, it’s just what I’m willing to accept.”

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Mayor Adams makes a parting shot at Kyrie Irving after trade to Mavericks

Mayor Eric Adams had a bit of trash talk for Kyrie Irving Monday morning following news that the talented but oft-troubled player will be traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks.

During an interview with morning host Pat Kiernan on NY1, Adams was asked to envision City Hall as a professional sports team and Irving as a staffer.

“If City Hall was a professional sports team, and you had an employee who gave you as much drama as Kyrie Irving is giving to the Brooklyn Nets, what would you do if that employee said could you trade me – would you do the trade?” Kiernan asked, prompting a chuckle from Adams.

The mayor replied, “I will find the team that beats us the most and send him to that team, because then we’ll start beating that team.”


Mayor Adams laughed when asked to envision City Hall as a professional sports team before appearing to slight Kyrie Irving after it was announced the Brooklyn Net would be traded.
Spectrum News NY1

“It’s about synergy in energy. No matter how much talent you have, your ability to interact with your colleagues is more important,” Adams continued.

“One player can bring down the synergy of the team – and so I would send him to the team that beats us the most so we can start winning better.”

The Nets traded Irving and veteran forward Markieff Morris to the Mavericks in exchange for guard Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round selection and 2027 and 2029 second-rounders. 


The talented but troubled player joined the Nets in 2019 but played very few games after refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Getty Images

Irving came to Brooklyn in 2019 but played a measly 143 out of a possible 278 games due to his refusal to adhere to New York’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Even after missing nearly two-thirds of the season, Irving ripped Adam’s move to end New York City’s private employer vaccine mandate – a policy he kept in place for city workers.

Irving took to social media in September to blast the policy, writing: “If I can work and be unvaccinated, then all of my brothers and sisters who are also unvaccinated should be able to do the same, without being discriminated against, vilified, or fired.”

He continued: “This enforced Vaccine/Pandemic is one the biggest violations of HUMAN RIGHTS in history.”


Irving has made prior comments about Adams and his COVID-19 policies.
Spectrum News NY1

His criticisms came even after Adams lifted the private sector vaccination mandate for professional athletes and performers in local venues, allowing Irving to play home games at the Barclays Center.

This season, Irving was suspended without pay for eight games after he promoted an anti-Semitic movie and has had several contentious contract negotiations — the last one being the final breaking point.



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Undersized Nets outmatched by Celtics in lopsided loss

BOSTON — Styles make fights — but so does size. And the undersized Nets were never in this one, battered around and beaten up 139-96 by the Celtics on Wednesday night.

How bad was it? Boston dominated so thoroughly, from wire-to-wire that the sellout crowd of 19,156 at TD Garden didn’t even bother to boo Public Enemy No. 1 Kyrie Irving by the end. Whatever punishment they wanted to exact on their former player, the Celtics already had, leading by as much as 49 in a thorough thrashing.

The Nets played without Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and T.J. Warren against a team with more big, talented wings than anybody in the league. Their Hobbit-esque lineup — with Irving (20 points, minus-31) and Seth Curry in the backcourt together — got predictably overwhelmed, just like it had in the past.


Nets forward Joe Harris (12) passes the ball while pressured by Boston Celtics center Al Horford on Wednesday.
AP

Jayson Tatum had a game-high 31 points, and Jaylen Brown added 26 as Boston sprinted out to a 27-4 lead. It got far worse from there, the Nets punching up a weight class or three against the much bigger Celtics (37-15), and spending almost the entire evening on the mat.

The Nets (31-20) have now dropped 10 straight to Boston, including last season’s humiliating first-round playoff sweep that rocked the franchise and brought on some soul searching. Wednesday was as humbling as any one of those defeats.

“They are just a unique group,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn acknowledged, before what would become by far the worst loss of his tenure since replacing Steve Nash. “The fact Brown and Tatum — what they are capable of doing at the size — just creates a different challenge for every team, especially for us if we are going to start Ky and Seth. So, it becomes, how can we help those two guys?


Jason Tatum drives to the basket against the Nets on Wednesday night.
AP

“That’s where Joe [Harris], Royce [O’Neale] and Nic [Claxton] fit in. Nic has to be exceptional — and that’s on both ends of the floor, being a threat at the rim on offense and defense and being able to keep Williams off the glass. They do some things where they get crossmatched a little bit, so hopefully we can take advantage of that. We won’t change who we are and hopefully use our bench.”

It didn’t happen, out-rebounded 57-32 and beaten 30-10 on the fast break.

The Nets watched the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics scorch them on .576 shooting, and 26 of 54 from 3-point range. Cam Thomas had 19 off the bench, with no other Net higher than Harris’ dozen.


The Celtics laugh it up on the bench during their win over the Nets on Wednesday.
NBAE via Getty Images

A year ago this week — last Feb. 8 — the Nets had taken a 126-91 beating at the hands of Boston. In that one, they’d fallen behind 14-0 and 28-2.They reenacted the nightmare again Wednesday, in by far the Nets’ worst showing since losing Durant to a sprained MCL on Jan. 8.Their previous worst effort in this 11-game span had been an 11-point loss at home to these same Celtics in the game immediately following Durant’s injury. They’d already hit that deficit 3:31 into Wednesday’s game, behind 14-3 on Brown’s pull-up 3-pointer.That deficit hit 27-4 on a Tatum pull-up 3 with 5:35 left in the first, the Nets shooting a wretched 1 of 11 while Boston had hit 11 of 17. It looked like a misprint, but it wasn’t the scoreboard that was malfunctioning, but the Nets.

The Nets trailed 46-16 after the opening quarter, the biggest first-quarter lead in Celtics’ franchise history — and the 17-time champions have a ton of history. The deficit ballooned to 34 at halftime and 38 to end the third quarter.

By the time Luke Kornet’s running dunk pushed it to a mind-bending 127-78 with 7:32 left to play, the contest was for all intents and purposes over. The benches had been cleared and the rest was garbage time.

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Kyrie Irving coming on strong as Nets adjust without Kevin Durant

SAN FRANCISCO — When Kevin Durant sprained his right MCL two weeks ago, Kyrie Irving was deferring and the Nets were struggling.

Now, Irving is leading.

That doesn’t mean chucking up wild shots or playing hero-ball. It does mean being fully engaged, putting his body on the line for his teammates. It does mean not getting in his own feelings, but being a positive influence. Oh, and it does mean having the ball in his hands during winning time and scoring. In bunches.

“Every night I try to put myself in that place, in that zone,” Irving said. “Specifically in the fourth quarter when it’s winning time.”

Irving will enter the Nets’ game at the Warriors on Sunday red-hot, having scored 69 points in his last five quarters. On consecutive nights, he put up 21 points in fourth quarters at Phoenix and Utah.

“It’s like he’s in a different world. He’s locked-in. He’s in a different type of zone and makes those big shots time and time again,” Nic Claxton said of Irving.

Kyrie Irving makes a move on Larry Nance during the Nets’ win over the Pelicans.
Getty Images

“That’s what he does,” Royce O’Neale added. “Right now he’s leading us, and we follow his lead. We’re trusting him, he’s trusting us. So to see him go off like that is always special. You could just tell he had it going.”

Irving didn’t have it going immediately after Durant went down on Jan. 8 in Miami, not really. Over the next four games, Irving missed one contest and shot just 19-for-60 through the 11 quarters he played. That is, until his revival Thursday at Phoenix.

After pouring in 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting in the final period against the Suns, he scored 48 points on 18-for-29 shooting Friday to beat the Jazz. That’s the form he will carries into Sunday against the Warriors.

“I don’t think [50 points nightly] is an unrealistic expectation,” Irving said, only half-joking. “I have the trust from [coach] Jacque [Vaughn] to be able to make plays down the stretch. … We’ve been able to develop a dialogue that continues to grow game-to-game. So it gives me a lot of confidence in the fourth quarter to be able to perform that way.”

Part of that dialogue was putting the ball in Irving’s hands. After Irving did too much watching while other Nets struggled to create — for instance, playing off the ball while Ben Simmons got minutes at the point, and struggled — Vaughn unleashed Irving on the pick-and-roll, and the results have been spectacular.

“In the fourth quarter of Phoenix we really found a good rhythm. And the spacing that we had, we wanted to go back to that,” Vaughn said. “His ability to play pick-and-roll is going to garner so much attention, especially when he shoots the 3 ball.

“We have bigs who are able to catch in the half roll and play-make also. So putting shooters around him — Seth [Curry], Joe [Harris], Royce, Yuta [Watanabe] — is pretty lethal when he has the basketball in his hands and is playing pick-and-roll.”

The Nets didn’t look lethal in their first three games without Durant, hitting .286 from 3-point range. But they shot .423 against the Suns and .439 versus the Jazz.

Irving’s offense also has benefitted from his engagement on defense. He grabbed 11 boards, had four steals and even took a pair of charges Friday, getting himself going.

“It set the tone, just shows how much he wants to win. He’s doing the little things that counts, taking the leadership right now that Kevin’s out,” O’Neale said.

“I talked about just getting out of my own way and really thinking team first and put my body on the line and leading by example. … When I could get it going on defense and do the little things, it really makes a difference for me and I’m dialed in,” said Irving, who downplayed the showdown Sunday with Golden State superstar Stephen Curry.

“That’s the foundation of us growing throughout this process is me getting out of my own way and allowing the other guys to help. …The ups and downs are going to come and go, but we have to stay poised and consistent. And it starts with me showing up every day and leading by example, and putting my body on the line and doing whatever it takes to win.”

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Kyrie Irving pours in 48 points to lift Nets over Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY — Kyrie Irving kept up the red-hot form he found Thursday against the Suns — and he showed the Nets actually can win a game without Kevin Durant. 

Irving poured in a game-high 48 points and the Nets pulled out a 117-106 victory over the Jazz before a sellout crowd of 18,206 at Vivint Arena. And unlike a night earlier at Phoenix, this time Irving’s brilliance was more than enough. 

He scored the most points by a Net this season, hit a season-high eight 3-pointers, tied his season high with 11 rebounds and added six assists. In short, he did it all, and he did it when the Nets needed it most — pouring in 21 points in the fourth quarter alone. 

The back-and-forth affair was knotted at 102-all after a Jordan Clarkson basket with 3:18 left, but Irving responded with a 3-pointer just 17 seconds later to give the Nets a lead they never surrendered. Center Nic Claxton (20 points, five rebounds) then blocked Clarkson on Utah’s next trip downcourt, and Seth Curry hit another 3-pointer to make it 108-102 with 2:18 remaining. 

Kyrie Irving, left, celebrates during the Nets’ win over the Jazz on Jan. 20.
Getty Images

The Nets (28-17) finished the game off and made sure it didn’t get to overtime. The win snapped an 0-4 skid since Kevin Durant went down on Jan. 8 in Miami with a sprained right MCL. Durant is still in a knee brace, and won’t be reevaluated until early next week. 

On Thursday in Phoenix, the Nets clearly hadn’t been even moderately focused at the start, spotting the Suns a 24-point lead in the third quarter before Irving scored 21 in the fourth. They ended up losing that game 117-112, but Friday they won. 

The Nets didn’t fix their flaws, as much as overcome them against the Jazz. They still got battered on the glass, and committed entirely too many fouls. But they found a way to win, with Claxton and a couple of timely stops proving to be enough. 

The game was a seesaw affair. 

Irving scored seven points in a 14-0 Nets run, and his 15-foot jumper put the Nets ahead 16-5 with 6:40 left in the first quarter. 

A Clarkson bucket snapped the run, but Royce O’Neale drilled a 3-pointer to put the Nets up 24-11 with 4:37 left in the first. 

Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 48 points.
USA TODAY Sports

Their lead was at 12 early in the second, when Claxton sailed in unopposed for a tip dunk. That gave the Nets a 36-24 cushion with 10:07 left in the half. Naturally, they couldn’t hold it, their familiar recent frailties still on full display. 

The Nets got mauled on the offensive glass and faced a huge disparity at the free throw line, not taking a single foul shot until there were nearly four minutes left in the first half. When they went ice-cold from the floor, the Jazz went on a 14-0 run of their own. 

The Nets missed six straight shots and committed a couple of turnovers. And by the time they let Collin Sexton get free for a reverse layup, they trailed 38-36 with 5:34 to go in the half. 

Jordan Clarkson kept the Jazz close with 29 points.
NBAE via Getty Images

They trailed 67-61 early in the second half after an all-too-easy Walker Kessler dunk. 

But the Nets responded with a 17-5 run to swing the momentum again. O’Neale found Yuta Watanabe for a huge 3-pointer to cap the spurt and put the Nets ahead 78-72 with 2:55 left in the third. 

It was knotted at 83-all going into the fourth. 

It was still tied at 92-all after a Sexton reverse with 8:27 to play, but that’s when the Nets edged ahead with seven unanswered points. 

Two Curry free throws 17 seconds later gave the Nets the lead. Then Claxton followed with an alley-oop, and an Irving 3-pointer made it 99-92 with 7:24 to play. 

The Nets never trailed again.

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