In much better shape since Halloween, with five wins for two losses, the Nets had already lost to the Lakers on Sunday and they still bit the dust (and not just a little) in Sacramento.
Between two teams trying to climb the slope, it is the Kings who clearly have the best dynamic, now on four wins in a row behind Terence Davis’ best game of the season (31 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) . The latter was clearly the X factor of the game, behind a 16-0 second quarter that nipped the Nets’ ambitions in the bud.
By finishing at 153 points, the Kings find scores from another era, in 1993, almost thirty years ago! Mike Brown’s Kings seem in any case to have found their “modus vivendi” with 7 wins in 9 games since their ugly start with 0 wins for 4 losses…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Terence Davis breaks the lock! A 16-7 that becomes a 24-11 after a big 3-point shot from Kevin Huerter at the end of possession… The Kings started with a bang in the first quarter but the Nets managed to come back up to par, thanks to Durant and Simmons notably. But it was to crack better afterwards, with a 16-0 in the second quarter, driven by Terence Davis who made the song for Royce O’Neale, whether at 3-point or penetration. The Nets will be pushed back to 20 points during this “run” which will turn into a nightmare, up to a 27-4… and they will not come back!
– Kevin Durant very lonely. If he continues his infernal series of games with 25 points or more started at the start of the season, Kevin Durant (27 points, 6 assists) has not received the support necessary to make Brooklyn exist. Whether it’s Joe Harris or Nic Claxton in the five major, respectively at 4 and 6 points, or Ben Simmons or even Seth Curry off the bench (11 and 9 points respectively), the Nets have never been able to find scoring while the Kings got stronger as the match progressed. And since they had also stopped defending…
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Terence Davis. Aside from a 14-point outing in Game 1 of the season, or another by the dozen to beat the Lakers last Saturday, Terence Davis has been pretty quiet on the Kings bench. Until tonight! With 31 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, the back of Sacramento managed his best game of the year, by far. All very clean at 12/16 on shots including 7/10 from 3-pointers.
✅ Kevin Hurter. With 19 points at 7/10 on shots including 5/7 from 3-pointers, Kevin Huerter was efficient and sober. Less in the legs on his shots from afar in November, he raised the bar well against the Nets. Above all, he repeatedly mystified poor Joe Harris who couldn’t keep up the pace defensively…
✅ Kevin Durant. Having chosen to come to Brooklyn in the summer of 2019, Kevin Durant must sometimes wonder how he ended up in such a mess… Last night again, he carried his team at arm’s length, without Kyrie Irving (suspended) and without much support from Ben Simmons off the bench. Despite 27 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, KD couldn’t do anything against the Kings. A new disappointment.
⛔ Joe Harris. After a season limited to 14 games due to an ankle injury, Joe Harris is slowly returning. Still looking for thrills, he is clearly not at his best. Last night, he started but finished just 4 points to 1/7 on shots. Like the rest of the major five, it didn’t weigh very much…
153 POINTS, SAD RECORD
The Nets had already conceded more points (161 against Phoenix in 2006) but there were then two extensions. 153 points is the record for points conceded in a game by the franchise in four quarters. For the Kings too, it’s a record for points since 1993…
THE FOLLOWING
brooklyn (6-9): last leg of their “road trip” to Portland on Friday.
Sacramento (7-6): reception of the Spurs on Friday.
