4 minute read
Sports
The consistent Nets take their winning ways on the road
By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews
After Saturday’s 111107 home loss to the Chicago Bulls, a game that the Bulls took control of in the closing minutes, the Brooklyn Nets have gone on the road for four games, having departed with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets opened the trip Tuesday night in Dallas versus the Mavericks and went up against the rising young Houston Rockets last night (Wednesday). Led by Kevin Durant’s 24 points and James Harden’s near triple-double of 23 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds, the Nets extended the Mavericks’ losing streak to three games, and handed them their eighth loss in the last ten games with a tight 102-99.
It was Brooklyn’s third victory in their pre vious four games, im proving their record to 17-7 and 9-2 away from the Barclays Center. Down by 12 at the half and 17 in the third quarter, the Nets fought back, outscoring Dallas 27-13 in the fourth quarter. Both Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks’ two best players, were back in the lineup after being side lined due to injuries. Doncic, an annual leading MVP candi date, finished with 28, and Porzingis, a former first round pick of the Knicks, had 17 points and 12 rebounds.
“It’s a character win where you just want to make the right plays to get back in the game and you want to turn the momentum to your side,” said Durant. “I think we did that tonight.”
Harden looked at it as the Nets maintaining their discipline and not straying from what they normally do.
“Throughout the course of the game, I feel like we got good shots, we just missed them,” said Harden after the win. “We just kept sticking with it. You’ve got to just keep shooting, especially if that’s what you do.”
The Nets have been con sistent from the start of the season and have yet to lose two straight games. Their longest winning streak is five games and they also have won four in a row. Before playing the Rockets Durant led the league in scoring at 28.4 and Harden was second in assists averaging 9.6.
The Nets’ next two games will be against the Atlanta Hawks tomorrow and Detroit Pistons on Sunday. They will be back on their homecourt on Tuesday to face the Toronto Raptors.
(Bill Moore photo)
Kevin Durant opened the Brooklyn Nets’ four-game road trip on Tuesday with 24 points in a 102-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks
Knicks labor to find balance in the midst of uneven play
By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
The Knicks were in Indiana last night (Wednesday) to take on the Pacers, the second game of a three-game road trip which concludes tomorrow night against the Toronto Raptors. They had a solid 121-109 win on Tuesday versus the San Antonio Spurs, ending a three-game losing streak and getting back to .500 at 12-12.
RJ Barrett, who has gone through a tough stretch over the past month, broke out of a slump scoring 32 points, including making seven of eight three-pointers. The 6-foot-6 21-year-old’s struggles are a microcosm of the Knicks’ uneven season and their laborious pursuit of positive balance. After finishing as the No. 4 in the Eastern Conference at 41-31 entering the playoffs, the Knicks were sitting 11th in the 15-team East following their victory over the Spurs.
Barrett was the Knicks’ second leading scorer behind Julius Randle—who was averaging 19.9 points before facing the Pacers— at 14.8 ppg when the Knicks tipped off last night. His numbers in points and assists (2.1) are down from a year ago while he was rebounding (5.8 per game) at the exact same rate. Barrett ended the 2020-’21 regular season at a clip of 17.6 points, shooting 44% overall and 40% on three-pointers. He went into the Pacers game with a 40.7 shooting percentage and converting just 34.7% (42-121) on threepoint attempts.
The Duke product is also playing less minutes—31.3 this season compared to 34.9 last season. Barrett’s 2,511 total minutes played a season ago was second in the NBA, trailing only Julius Randle’s 2,667.
“I’ve kinda figured that out now
where the Knicks fell to the Denver Nuggets 113-99. “I’ve been in shooting funks before and not too worried about it.” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau took a pragmatic view of Barrett’s shooting regression. “It’s similar to last year. I have a lot of confidence in him being able to work his way out of it,” he asserted. “When you throw in he’s been sick, and to me you get rhythm when you work. “Last year, he got going when he started coming in every night to shoot…So get back in the gym, get back to grooving your shot. Shoot a lot of threes and you’ll start AMNEWS making more.” 10/07/21 0 74470 22784 7 The Knicks will host the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks at the Garden on Sunday ahead of taking on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors at MSG next Tuesday.
01414
AMNEWS 10/07/21 AMNEWS
10/14/21 0 74470 22784 7
AMNEWS 12/02/21
Knicks guard/forward RJ Barrett broke out of a long shooting slump on Tuesday night, scoring 32 points in a 121-109 road win over the San Antonio Spurs
AMNEWS 12/09/21
(Bill Moore photo)
0 74470 22784 7 01494
