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Nets get a tough test and stern lesson against the Golden State Warriors
By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews
The Brooklyn Nets returned home on Sunday from their longest road trip of the season to face the Golden State Warriors at home on Tuesday. After beginning the trip Nov. 5 with a 96-90 win over the Detroit Pistons, the Nets ended it with a 120-96 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In all, they went 6-0, also defeating the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans. The Warriors are different. They came into the Barclays Center with the best record in the NBA at 12-2. They made it 13-2 after beating the Nets by 117-99. The Warriors, who were ranked third in the league for opponents’ points allowed at 101.3 at the start of yesterday’s (Wednesday) schedule, showed the Nets why, holding Kevin Durant to 19 points on 6-19 shooting. Durant leads the NBA in scoring at 28.9.
“They got long de fenders, guys that can help, so seeing bodies all the time when I had the ball, that’s what great defenses do,” said Durant, also acknowl edging some of the bad shots that he took.
“Some shots I wish I could’ve had back,” Durant said. “I rushed a few once we got down 15, 20. I’m trying to get it back so fast, you end up taking bad shots and rushed shots.”
Brooklyn came out strong in the first quarter, taking a 34-31 lead, but the Warriors’ superior second quarter put them up 63-58 at the half. The Warriors dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Nets 35-18 and won the game going away. Stephen Curry, who is second to Durant in scoring at 28.7, put on another spectacular display, dropping 37 points in shooting 9-14 from three.
Durant, who was named Eadstern Conference Player of the Week for Nov. 8-14, averaging 32.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists, viewed the matchup as “another opportunity for us to build up who we are, figure out what we want to do out there, and keep pushing.”
At 10-5, the Nets were still third overall in the Eastern Conference before facing the Cleveland Cavaliers last night at home. They’ll face the Orlando Magic tomorrow at Barclays and the Cavaliers again Monday on the road.
(Bill Moore photo)
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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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The Knicks battle to keep pace in the competitive Eastern Conference 10/21/21 0 74470 22784 7
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By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
Coming into this season, it stood to reason that although the Knicks conceivably could be a better team than they were last season when they finished 41-31 and the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, by the conclusion of the 2021-’22 NBA regular season campaign, which is back to its normal 82-game schedule, the Knicks could be lower in the standings as a result of the improvement of several other teams.
That premise has manifested in a little under one month and 15 games into their schedule as the Knicks have encountered a much more competitive East. Last season, they were 15-6 versus the bottom seven teams in the conference. Conversely, heading into last night’s game (Wednesday) against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks were 8-6, sixth in the East, and had gone 3-5 against the Magic, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets, none of which were playoff teams a season ago.
Furthermore, the Knicks, who were third year forward Barrett moving to the small forward position to open games, the Knicks have made significant alterations to their lineup. But their head coach Tom Thibodeau was not entertaining any excuses regarding his team being in the midst of an adjustment period. “You know what they say. When it’s 10 games, you say we need 20,” Thibodeau maintained following the Knicks’ 112100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at the Garden Nov. 10. “When you get to 20, you say 30. And then once you get to 30, you say 40. And then before you know it, the season’s over. So, it’s a bunch of bullsh*t.” The eye test affirms that as a collective unit, the Knicks’ starters, which also include forward Julius Randle and center Mitch Robinson, have not demonstrated positive consistency. Thibodeau has had to rely on his bench to retake leads and pull out wins for the ballclub in several games this season. The most recent being on Sunday
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 AMNEWS points in a much needed 92-84 win, 10/28/21 stopping a three-game losing streak. Guards Immanuel Quickley 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 efAMNEWS fectiveness of the Quickley-Rose duo. R.J. Barrett, who was just 4-13 for 11/04/21 12 points against the Pacers, stayed 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. AMNEWS The Knicks will host the Houston 11/11/21 Rockets on Saturday, face the Bulls in Chicago on Sunday and be back at the Garden next Tuesday to meet the Los Knicks guard/forward R.J. Barrett looked to break Angeles Lakers. out of a shooting slump heading into last night’s (Wednesday) game versus the Orlando Magic at MSG, going 17-63 in his previous five games
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(Bill Moore photo)
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