After having experienced an incredible day, marked by the departure of Steve Nash, the net welcomed the Bulls in the evening, to try to confirm their success obtained the day before, against the Pacers. Mission failed, because Zach LaVine (29 points, 5 assists), DeMar DeRozan (20 points) and others leave Brooklyn with a smile on their face.
As usual, Kevin Durant (32 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) did his best to guide his team to victory but, neglected by Kyrie Irving and orphan of Ben Simmons, he finally had to give up his arms in the face of repeated attacks from Chicago, and in particular from LaVine (20 points in the fourth quarter!).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Zach LaVine’s welcome heat stroke. Author of a mixed start to the season, the All-Star rear had to deliver a benchmark performance to launch his season. It is now done. Interesting at the start of the match, in scoring but also in creation, he had actually saved the best for last. Witness his 20 points scored in the last twelve minutes of the game, when his team probably needed it the most, to completely tip this game in favor of Chicago…
— First failed for Jacque Vaughn. Appointed interim coach of the Nets for the second time after the 2019/20 season, Steve Nash’s successor imagined starting his second (temporary) term on the New York bench with success. Problem: Zach LaVine and the Bulls had other plans in mind. We can say that Kevin Durant went out of his way to put Brooklyn on the right track, but the team’s usual shortcomings – in attack and defense – obviously did not disappear as if by magic, in the space of ‘one day. The work has only just begun…
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Ayo Dosunmu. If Patrick Williams (12 points, 7 rebounds) also did a good job in the starting five of the Bulls, we will nevertheless prefer to highlight the nice performance of his teammate sophomore. With 17 points, 7/11 on shots, he was indeed valuable in the shadow of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, confirming at the same time his attractive start to the season and his importance in Billy Donovan’s rotation.
✅ Royce O’Neale. Ghostly Kyrie Irving (see below), Kevin Durant needed another of his lieutenants to answer this night and it was the former Jazz soldier who took care of it, without flinching. With 20 points, 8/12 on shots and 4/6 on 3-pts, he made good use of the few ammunition offered by the Bulls’ defense, in addition to helping hold DeMar DeRozan at 8/21 on shots on the other side of the field. Good job, then.
✅ Goran Dragic. Coming off the bench, the Slovenian hurt his former team: 15 points in 20 minutes. Inspired at 3-pts (4/6) and very aggressive ball in hand, as soon as he entered the game, he barely missed what he undertook and perfectly compensated for the absences of Lonzo Ball or Coby White, on Chicago’s back lines. Also demonstrating that, even at 36 years old, the “Dragon” still had some under the hood.
⛔ Kyrie Irving. Under pressure for a few days, the leader of the Nets was sorely disappointed today. Limited to only 4 points in 33 minutes, 2/12 on shots and above all 0/6 at 3-pts, he wandered like a lost soul on the floor of the Barclays Center. Unrecognizable from start to finish, “Uncle Drew” thus abandoned Kevin Durant and his teammates, as if his behavior off the field was beginning to harm him when he plays. To be continued…
THE FOLLOWING
Brooklyn (2-6) : trip to Washington, on the night of Friday to Saturday (00:00).
Chicago (4-4) : back to back against Charlotte, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (01:00).
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