Nets beat Rockets for third straight win, tie No. 5 Knicks in loss column
This is how you’re supposed to handle the worst team in all of basketball.
The Nets entered Houston with one job: Don’t fall victim in a trap game against a Rockets team with only a handful of victories on the season.
It started slow, but once Brooklyn found some rhythm, the Nets pulled away for a 118-96 victory, good for their third straight victory after a rocky start in the aftermath of the blockbuster Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trades.
And there’s no better microcosm for Brooklyn’s convincing road victory than Nic Claxton’s resilience after he was on the receiving end of two highlight reel moments.
Rockets star Jalen Green put Claxton on a poster not once, but twice on Tuesday night, including a vicious one-handed slam, followed by a stare-down midway through the third quarter.
Green finished with 25 points but only shot 9-of-21 from the field, a largely impactless stat line other than the brief jolt his highlight-reel dunks gave his team.
Claxton finished the night with 18 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and a steal. It was easily his best game since the trade deadline.
“It’s huge for our group, just the way we want to play (with) versatility. It just allows us to play different defenses,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said of Claxton’s impact. “He’s covering up different plays for us. . . and then on the other end, altering shots and then being in position to guard multiple bodies. So, unique. We love him, what he brings to the table. Continue to push him to grow. Continue to push him to get better.”
Even if the Rockets own the worst record in all of basketball, it was a quality win for a Nets team still seeking its chemistry while looking to retain its standing as an Eastern Conference playoff team.
That’s because the Rockets jumped on the Nets early, taking a 12-2 lead out of the gate and led 34-27 early in the second quarter.
The Nets took control shortly after, finding their rhythm from downtown after starting the game 1-of-6 from behind the arc. They then fended off the Rockets’ futile attempts to claw back into the game entering the half — then blowing Houston out of the water with a 22-point second-half lead that never felt within reach for a reeling Rockets team.
Brooklyn held a double-digit lead for the final 22 minutes of the game.
“We made an adjustment, shrinking the floor, putting more bodies in front of the ball, and that did a lot for us on the defensive end,” Vaughn said.
Nets star Mikal Bridges continued his hot scoring streak, finishing with a game-high 30 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field and a 4-of-10 clip from downtown. Bridges has scored 30 or more points on five of his last eight games in Brooklyn and he became the first player in NBA history to average 25-plus points on better than 50 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent shooting from three and 90 percent shooting from the foul line in his first 10 games with a new team.
For reference, Bridges only scored 30 or more twice in the first 367 games of his career.
Spencer Dinwiddie added 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, and the combination of Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris and Seth Curry combined to score 35 points off the bench.
“That second quarter was a big difference-maker for us. That group — CJ (Cam Johnson), Seth was in there, Joe was in there — they really shifted the momentum into our direction, especially going into halftime. Their ability to get stops, and get out in transition and create pace was huge. The depth definitely paid dividends tonight.”
The Nets have done themselves a big favor in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. After stunning the Celtics by coming back from down 28 in Boston, then holding down the fort in games they were supposed to win against the Hornets and Rockets, the Nets are now tied in the loss column with the No. 5 Knicks, who lost to the Charlotte Hornets without star guard LaMelo Ball on Tuesday.
Next up: The Nets head to Milwaukee to take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the championship-contending Bucks.
Unlike the Rockets, the Bucks have the best record in all of basketball and are coming off a convincing victory over the Nets in Brooklyn.
()