Third loss in a row for denver ! After Chicago and San Antonio, these are indeed the net who offer themselves the scalp of the leaders of the Western Conference, who thus fall for the second consecutive time at home, at the end of a great attacking match concluded by a breathless “money-time”.
Led by 15 points just under ten minutes from the end of the match, the nuggetsthanks to a huge ramp-up of a Nikola Jokic XXL (35 points have 12 in the last quarter, 20 rebounds and 11 assists), were however not far from overthrowing the troop of brooklyn. But the “Joker” missed an important free throw then the potential “game-winner”…
Generous in the game since the upheaval of their workforce at the “deadline”, the Nets have struggled with their outside address (17/44) and their ability to attract fouls (21/24 on free throws), and have thus signed a total collective performance: 32 assists for 42 baskets scored, with seven of the nine players entered who exceeded 10 points!
A well-deserved success for Jacque Vaughn and his men.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– A decisive third quarter for Brooklyn. While they had ended the first period very badly, conceding a terrible 26-10 in just five minutes which allowed Denver to join the locker room at the break with an ideal “momentum” to attack the second half, the Nets indeed turned the game around in the third act. Far from being defeated by this missed end of the first half, Jacque Vaughn’s men then stuck 37 points at 12/18 on shots – including 4/8 from behind the arc – to the defense of Denver, whose attack answered only with 18 small points! The match was thus totally relaunched when attacking the last quarter, which was then unsurprisingly a crossover at loggerheads, until the last second. With a favorable outcome finally favorable to the Nets, certainly saved by their stunning third quarter.
– Dominated in rebounds, the Nets got around the problem with the “small-ball”. This is today’s basketball: without dominating with height, it is still possible to win. Crushed in the rebound battle, with a pretty crazy +26 differential in favor of Denver (61 rebounds against 35), and even more broadly in the paint with a +22 for the Colorado squad (56 points against 34) the Nets have effectively proven the effectiveness of a well-executed small-ball. With 17 award-winning shots scored already, almost the total of the Nuggets’ points in the racket, but also 21 free throws converted, out of 24 attempts. In other words, the Nets have accepted their size deficit and loss in the home sector battle…and made it their primary offensive force. By torpedoing behind the arc and attacking the circle of their opponents without worrying about rebounds and second chances, they undermined Denver’s defense until they managed to snatch victory, after effort. A great tactical success for Jacque Vaughn and his soldiers.
– Nikola Jokic’s new series will wait. Despite another great performance, the “Joker” lost a second game in a row when he recorded a triple-double, after Denver lost to San Antonio. He obviously doesn’t have much to blame himself for, even if he missed a decisive free throw in the last seconds, then the attempt to “game-winner” at the siren. Of this great evening on his part, we will also particularly remember his fourth quarter, during which he scored 12 of his 35 points to revive his team, 15 points behind eight minutes from the end. A colossal effort, in vain…
TOPS & FLOPS
✅ Spencer Dinwiddie. Trained at the University of Colorado at the NCAA level, the leader of Brooklyn has taken care of his passage on the land of his university exploits: a nice double-double with 15 points and 16 assists, with 6 rebounds. Clumsy (5/15 including 0/7 from 3-pointers), he perfectly managed his team’s attack, very efficient and constant (50% on shots, including 39% from behind the arc).
✅ Nic Claxton. The Nets pivot confirmed his recent rise to power with a brilliant match against the best of his position. If he suffered unsurprisingly against Nikola Jokic, “Clax” showed great things on his side, with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. In particular, often playing the “Joker” in defense, never very comfortable containing more aerial pivots than him, sneaking behind his back. Left aside in the third quarter, when his team reversed the course of the match with a “small-ball”, he returned to bring his size and his deterrence in front of the circle in the last act.
✅ Michael Porter Jr.. As a relay for the reigning double MVP, the Denver winger was sober and efficient: 23 points at 9/12 on shots, with 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Very on pace and confident, he was certainly a little forgotten in the “money-time”.
⛔️ Jamal Murray. Absent for a good part of the third quarter and then the entire fourth quarter because of a painful left knee, the Canadian leader had not been very convincing anyway, displaying all the trouble in the world to find his pace in attack (16 points at 5/19 on shots, 2 bullet losses for a single pass).
THE FOLLOWING
– Nuggets (46-22): trip to Toronto, Tuesday night to Wednesday (12:30 a.m.).
– Nets (39-29): moving to OKC, overnight Tuesday to Wednesday (01:00).
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