If anyone needs proof of the strides the Nets have made this season, their 109-104 win against the Mavericks at American Airlines will definitely stand out.
The Nets didn’t win their fourth road game until March during the 2016-17 campaign, but they’ve reached that mark four months faster thanks to an all-around strong team effort led by Trevor Booker, DeMarre Carroll and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Here are the three biggest points from the game:
Booker to the rescue:The Nets led for most of the game, but when the Mavericks started rallying in the fourth quarter, it appeared as if the visiting team might let another win slip out of its hands. Enter Booker. The 30-year-old refused to be beat on rebounds late in the fourth quarter, making several key putbacks to keep Brooklyn in the lead. His last rebound proved to be the most crucial as it kept Dallas away from getting the ball with 5.2 seconds remaining. Coach Kenny Atkinson praised the power forward after the match.
"He saved the game with those offensive rebounds," Atkinson said.
Definition of clutch.
Carroll’s emphatic return:
DeMarre Carroll appears willing to pick up the slack on offense with the Nets missing three of their four leading scorers (D’Angelo Russell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Allen Crabbe). The veteran small forward scored 20 points in back-to-back games for only the second time in his career, with the last time being in March 2015 for the Atlanta Hawks.
While the 31-year-old was sidelined in the team’s 103-117 loss to the Rockets, he didn’t miss a beat in Dallas.
"He was the star of the game tonight," Atkinson stated after the win.
Dinwiddie’s offensive outburst:
Carroll wasn’t the only player who stepped up to score some points for the undermanned Nets. Dinwiddie has overcome his earlier scoring struggles on the road to score back-to-back games in double figures. Add in his continually impressive playmaking (20 assists, 3 turnovers in the last three games), it’s no wonder why the Nets finished their road trip winning two out of three games.