36 • November 18, 2021 - November 24, 2021
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
Sports Nets get a tough test and stern lesson against the Golden State Warriors T h e B ro o k l y n Ne t s re t u r n e d h o m e o n S u n d ay f ro m t h e i r l o n g e s t ro a d t r i p o f t h e s e a s o n t o f a c e t h e G o l d e n St a t e Wa r r i o r s a t h o m e o n Tu e s d ay . A f t e r b e g i n n i n g t h e t r i p Nov. 5 w i t h a 9 6 - 9 0 w i n ov e r t h e D e t ro i t P i s t o n s, t h e Ne t s e n d e d i t w i t h a 1 2 0 - 9 6 w i n ov e r t h e O k l a h o m a C i t y T h u n d e r. In all, they went 6-0, also def e a t i n g t h e To ro n t o R a p t o r s, C h i c a g o B u l l s, O r l a n d o Ma g i c a n d Ne w O r l e a n s Pe l i c a n s. T h e Wa r r i o r s a re d i f f e re n t . T h e y c a m e i n t o t h e B a rc l ay s C e n t e r w i t h t h e b e s t re c o rd i n t h e N B A at 12-2. They made it 13-2 after b e a t i n g t h e Ne t s by 1 1 7 - 9 9 . T h e Wa r r i o r s, w h o w e re ra n k e d t h i rd i n t h e l e a g u e f o r o p p o n e n t s’ points allowed at 101.3 at the s t a r t o f y e s t e rd ay ’s ( We d n e s d ay ) s c h e d u l e, s h o w e d t h e Ne t s w hy ,
h o l d i n g Ke v i n D u ra n t t o 1 9 p o i n t s o n 6 - 1 9 s h o o ti n g . D u ra n t l e a d s t h e NBA in scoring at 28.9. “They got long defenders, guys that can h e l p, s o s e e i n g b o d i e s all the time when I had t h e b a l l , t h a t ’s w h a t g r e a t d e f e n s e s d o,” s a i d Durant, also acknowledging some of the bad shots that he took. “S o m e s h o t s I w i s h I c o u l d ’v e h a d b a c k ,” D u ra n t s a i d . “ I r u s h e d a few once we got down 1 5 , 2 0 . I’ m t r y i n g t o g e t it back so fast, you end up taking bad shots and r u s h e d s h o t s.” B ro o k l y n came out s t ro n g i n t h e f i r s t q u a rt e r, t a k i n g a 3 4 - 3 1 l e a d , b u t t h e Wa r r i o r s’ s u p e rior second quarter put them up 63-58 at the
(Bill Moore photo)
By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews
AM NEWS 10/07/21
AM NEWS 10/14/21 Nets head coach Steve Nash acknowledged his team isn’t in the class of the Golden State Warriors just yet after losing to them 117-99 at the Barclays Center on Tuesday
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h a l f. T h e Wa r r i o r s d o m i n a te d t h e t h i rd q u a r t e r, o u t s c o ri n g t h e Ne t s 3 5 - 1 8 a n d w o n t h e g a m e g o i n g aw ay . St e p h e n Cu r r y , w h o i s s e c o n d t o D u ra n t i n s c o r i n g a t 2 8 . 7 , p u t on another spectacular disp l ay , d ro p p i n g 3 7 p o i n t s i n s h o o t i n g 9 - 1 4 f ro m t h re e. D u ra n t , w h o w a s n a m e d E a d s t e r n C o n f e re n01414 c e P l ay e r AM NE o f t h e We e k f o r Nov. 8 10/07/ -14, 0 7 74470 22784 av e ra g i n g 3 2 . 3 p o i n t s, 7 . 8 re b o u n d s a n d 4 . 5 a s s i s t s, v i e w e d t h e m a t c h u p a s “a n other opportunity for us to b u i l d u p w h o w e a re, f i g u re out what we want to do out t h e re, a n d k e e p p u s h i n g .” 01424 At 1 0 - 5 , t h e Ne t s w e re AM s t i lNE l t0h i rd ov e ra l l i n7 t h e E a s t10/14/ ern C o n74470 f e re n c22784 e b e f o re f a c i n g t h e C l e v e l a n d Cava l i e r s l a s t n ig ht a t h o m e. T h e y ’ l l f a c e t h e O rl a n d o Ma g i c t o m o r row at Ba rc l ay s a n d t h e Cav a l i e r s a g a i n Mo n d ay o n t h e ro a d . 01434
The Knicks battle to keep pace in the competitive Eastern Conference (Bill Moore photo)
By JAIME C. HARRIS third year forward Barrett AmNews Sports Editor moving to the small forward position to open games, the Coming into this season, it Knicks have made signifstood to reason that although icant alterations to their AM NEWS the Knicks conceivably could lineup. But their head be a better team than they coach Tom Thibodeau 10/28/21was were last season when they finnot entertaining any excusished 41-31 and the No. 4 seed es regarding his team being in the Eastern Conference, by in the midst of an adjustthe conclusion of the 2021-’22 ment period. NBA regular season campaign, “You know what they which is back to its normal say. When it’s 10 games, 82-game schedule, the Knicks you say we need 20,” AM NEWS could be lower in the standings Thibodeau maintained fol11/04/21 as a result of the improvement lowing the Knicks’ 112of several other teams. 100 loss to the Milwaukee That premise has manifestBucks at the Garden Nov. ed in a little under one month 10. “When you get to 20, and 15 games into their schedyou say 30. And then once ule as the Knicks have encounyou get to 30, you say 40. tered a much more competitive And then before you know East. Last season, they were 15-6 it, the season’s over. So, it’s AM NEWS versus the bottom seven teams a bunch of bullsh*t.” 11/11/21 in the conference. Conversely, The eye test affirms that heading into last night’s game as a collective unit, the Knicks guard/forward R.J. Barrett looked to break (Wednesday) against the OrKnicks’ starters, which lando Magic at Madison Square out of a shooting slump heading into last night’s also include forward (Wednesday) game versus the Orlando Magic at MSG, Garden, the Knicks were 8-6, Julius Randle and center sixth in the East, and had gone going 17-63 in his previous five games Mitch Robinson, have 3-5 against the Magic, Chicanot demonstrated posgo Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Indiana 25-11 at MSG last season, had strug- itive consistency. Thibodeau has AM NEWS Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Char- gled in their own building early on and had to rely on his bench11/18/21 to retake lotte Hornets, none of which were were 3-4 prior to hosting the Magic. leads and pull out wins for the ballplayoff teams a season ago. With a new starting backcourt of club in several games this season. Furthermore, the Knicks, who were Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, and The most recent being on Sunday
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against the Indiana Pacers at home. The Knicks fell behind by 12 points in the third quarter before the reserves rallied them in the fourth, holding the Pacers to just two baskets and 10 01444 points in a much needed 92-84 win, AM NE stopping a three-game losing streak. 10/28/ 0 7 Guards Immanuel 74470 22784Quickley and Derrick Rose led the charge. Quickley scored 16 points and Rose 14. Quickley and Walker (16 points) were tied for a team high but Walker didn’t play the entire final period because of the effectiveness of the Quickley-Rose duo. 014544-13 for R.J. Barrett, who was just AM NE 12 points against the Pacers, stayed 11/04/ 0 7 74470 22784 stuck in a shooting slump but hit three impactful 3-pointers in the second half. In his five games before taking on the Magic last night, Barrett had made only 17 of 63 attempts and 6-26 on threes. The Knicks will host the Houston 01464 Rockets on Saturday, face the Bulls AMin NE Chicago on Sunday and the 11/11/ 0 7 be back at 74470 22784 Garden next Tuesday to meet the Los Angeles Lakers.
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