Having to face each other twice this week, the net and the Riders met last night for the first round of this double confrontation and it was ultimately the best ranked of the two teams that won in New York (115-109). By leading three-quarters of the game, but strangely letting themselves be caught up in the last five minutes, to offer a rather flattering final score to their hosts.
In the wake of Donovan Mitchell (31 points), it is therefore Cleveland which adds a new victory to its counter which and approaches direct qualification in the playoffs. Without failing to dive further brooklyn in the face of his doubts, because it is now four defeats in a row for the teammates of Spencer Dinwiddie (19 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds) and surprising Day’Ron Sharpe (20 points, 11 rebounds).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— One quarter and it’s off to Cleveland. A sluggish start from the Cavaliers initially made us think this game would be closer than expected, but the second quarter soon made it clear to us that the Nets wouldn’t match the collective strike force of the Cavs. Launched by the 3-pointers of Donovan Mitchell and Cedi Osman, as well as the work done inside by the pair Mobley / Allen and the accelerator shots of Darius Garland, the men of JB Bickerstaff imposed their law without forcing, to widen the gap and keep it, before managing it (more or less) quietly in the last act.
— Brooklyn exploded in flight. Despite an attractive start, which earned them a 30-23 lead after twelve minutes, the Nets gradually let go of the repeated onslaught of the Cavaliers. Especially at 3-pointers, since Jacque Vaughn’s men were unable to defend their line properly and, when they finally did, they were penalized in the paint. Dominated in intensity, too predictable offensively and inconsistent defensively, the New York players were just beaten by stronger than them. They will therefore have to learn the lesson for the second round on Thursday evening.
— Philadelphia benefits in the standings. Thanks to the defeat of the Nets, the Sixers thus validate their ticket for the playoffs without even playing. It’s the third team to qualify in the East and it’s now been six consecutive qualifiers for Philly at this stage of the competition, the third longest running streak behind Boston (nine) and Milwaukee (seven).
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Donovan Mitchell. Perfectly supported by Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, but also Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert or even Cedi Osman in sequences, because it was the whole Cavaliers collective who generally ensured, “Spida” made the show in “his” city of predilection. Incisive to get his points near the circle and in phase with his shot to punish from afar, the All-Star rear has stretched his legs on the boards of Barclays Center. Icing on the cake: he offered himself THE post of the night on poor Yuta Watanabe, too often on the wrong side of the photo.
✅ Day’Ron Sharpe. If we had to retain a player on the Nets side, it would certainly be their replacement pivot, untenable in the paint and who represented the main danger for the Cavaliers defense. Ultra dominating in the offensive rebound (9 takes!), he made Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley suffer terribly with his presence and his physical impact at all times. Active on both sides of the court, Sharpe looked very sharp and Jacque Vaughn must have appreciated what he saw of his young interior, with hands good enough to convert his balls received (or snatched) into attack.
⛔ Brooklyn’s 3-dot address. Illustrated by Mikal Bridges (0/8…), the external clumsiness of the Nets hurt them very badly in this part: only 9/33, or 27% success. Especially since, at the same time, the Cavaliers were shooting 14/29 behind the arc (48% success), creating the gap on the scoreboard with their multiple award-winning baskets. On several occasions, after one of their many offensive rebounds for example, the New York shooters had a 3-point shot that they failed to convert, when that could have revived the interest of the match. sometimes.
⛔ isaac okoro. One of the few Cavaliers players not to have stood out in this meeting. Naive in defense, it must be said that the faults prevented Okoro from finding his rhythm offensively: 0 point in 20 minutes, 0/4 in the shoot (including 0/2 at 3-points). Fortunately, Caris LeVert and Cedi Osman were there to replace him effectively and make people forget his failed performance.
THE FOLLOWING
New duel between brooklyn (39-33) and Cleveland (46-28), on the night of Thursday to Friday (00:30).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q37wAz4pcyY
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
