Chen the Brooklyn Nets they played it with the signing of a Kevin Durant injured made a bet on insurance. The forward was landing from Oakland with two rings on his fingers and two Finals MVP trophies under his arm. The forward, beyond the doubts about his recovery, was a safe value and he showed it as soon as he returned from the injury, showing that he was still one of the best players in the world. If not the best, as Giannis Antetokoumpo claimed.
A label that little by little is coming off the neck of the eaves. At least during the series he is starring in against the Boston Celtics. A tie to forget that is showing an unpublished version of Durant. A version that does not even reach the category of erratic because Nets leading scorer doesn’t even shoot.
It’s as if someone had switched and we’re looking at Durant’s evil twin. A player who barely had seven points at halftime in the third game against the Celtics and who he only made 11 shots in the entire matchleaving the offensive leadership of the Nets in the hands of a secondary like Bruce Brown (26 points and 19 shots).
One more proof that Celtics plan works. Those of Boston, a defensive steamroller against the Nets, are managing to annul a Durant who accumulates 17 turnovers in this series, that he did not score in the second half of the second match and that in the third match he couldn’t even shoot in the last 11 minutes of the game.
The worst thing for the Nets is that all these numbers do not seem like a mirage but the harsh reality they have to deal with right now. A team with a coach without tactical solutions and a leader lost in the middle of the ocean. “I’m thinking about things too much throughout the tie. It’s about how I approach the game. There is another game, another opportunity, and I want to take advantage of it.”assured Durant, who only has one bullet left to not lose in the first round for the first time since 2010.
Of course, not all of the Nets’ ills can be explained by Durant’s pothole. Much of the blame for New Yorkers and their megaproject being on the brink of collapse lies with Jayson Tatum. The Celtics forward has taken the step forward that was demanded of him to be considered an NBA superstar and has assumed the role of Durant’s heir as many see him. Tatum finished Game 3 of the series with 39 points (13 of 29 from the field), five rebounds, six assists and six steals being the first player in Celtics history with a similar statistic in the playoffs.
And without leaving Brooklyn, another explanation for the bad moment of the Nets is in the bad moment of Kyrie Irving facing the rival hoop. The base does not find the scoring rhythm necessary to take charge of his team and in the third game of the series against the Celtics he showed it again with 16 points and a poor zero of seven from the triple. Much is going to have to change to turn the situation around.
Little Spanish role in the playoffs one more night. Santi Aldama he was left out of the Memphis Grizzlies’ squad again in Game 4 of the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Juancho Hernangomez he played nine minutes in the Jazz’s victory and contributed five points and one rebound.
NBA NIGHT RESULTS
- Raptors 110-102 76ers (1-3)
- Jazz 100-99 Mavericks (2-2)
- Nets 103-109 Celtics (0-3)
- Timberwolves 119-118 Grizzlies (2-2)
The Jazz added their second victory in the series against the Dallas Mavericks thanks to the last alley oop entre Donovan Mitchell y Rudy Gobert. However, before that action came, the great protagonist of the clash for those from Salt Lake City was Jordan Clarksonwho continues to show that he is the best sixth man in the league with 25 points in 36 minutes.
Los Philadelphia 76ers They live pending Joel Embiid’s finger and to see if James Harden find your best version. For now they will continue to wait because the shooting guard once again fell short of his best performance in the Sixers’ defeat against the Raptors. ‘The Beard’ ended with 22 points, but he barely hit two of the eight triples he tried and committed four turnovers in the 42 minutes Doc Rivers gave him on the floor.