BROOKLYN – D’Angelo Russell only had one point and two assists in his return, but it was enough to spark the Nets out of their recent five-game Barclays Center skid with a win against the Heat.
The 21-year-old received a warm welcome in his first action in 33 games, as the home crowd loudly applauded the guard when he checked in with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter. Russell was clearly rusty in his first 14 minutes of action, yet it was clear to see that he was more comfortable in the second half. Caris LeVert, who was one of the key performers of the game, credited Russell’s leadership on defense as part of the reason why Brooklyn was able to overturn a 16-point deficit to secure a victory.
“D’Angelo [Russell] was real vocal when he came in like in the third quarter, when he came in that is when the run started,” Levert said. “He just telling us stop by stop, just get a stop [and] and easy baskets. And that kind of sparked the run.”
It was a strong team effort by the Nets, who were led by DeMarre Carroll’s game-high 26 points. Hassan Whiteside was the top scorer for the visitors as he scored 22 points to go along with 13 rebounds and four blocks. Brooklyn wraps up a three-game homestand and will travel to Detroit to start a four-game road trip.
Russell Is Back
All it took was one play to electrify the sold-out Barclays Center.
On a broken offensive set, Russell got the ball on the top of the key and lobbed a pinpoint no-look pass to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for an easy, emphatic dunk at the rim to cut deficit to 69-67. The home crowd exploded as the team fought back from 16 points down. The dime was the highlight of a 26-8 extended run between the end of the third quarter to the beginning of the fourth. It also shows just how deadly Russell’s court vision is.
As expected, the third-year player was rusty in his first game back since Nov. 11, but he showed glimpses of his quality throughout the game. He combined nicely with good friend Jahlil Okafor in the second quarter and also opened things up for Caris LeVert, who had the Barclays Center crowd on the edge of their seats with several incredible crossovers.
Russell acknowledged needed to get his rhythm back, but was happy to be on the court again.
“Limited minutes, but it was great. Like I said, just being out there in general [was great],” Russell said. “All numbers aside, I don’t know how you want to put it, but just being out there was really my main focus.”
Carroll Continues Strong Play
Whatever Carroll was struggling with in December, it’s clearly long-gone in the Nets’ past five games.
Carroll poured in a game-high 26 points on a stunning 75 percent shooting to go along with six rebounds and two steals. It was the fifth 20-point game for the 31-year-old this season, his second in the past three games. Carroll is averaging 17 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals in the past five games, shooting 51.8 percent in that span.
When Brooklyn was trailing by 16 points in the third quarter, Carroll’s hustle and drive was a big reason why the game didn’t get too far away from the team. The small forward also hit two threes in key moments in the second half that kept Miami from building momentum. Carroll has been the veteran voice of the Nets since his arrival last summer, but his leadership is taking another step forward with his impressive play on the court recently.
LeVert and Dinwiddie Take Over in the Second Half
LeVert has called Allen Iverson one of the players he’s modelled his game after. On Friday, the Sixers’ legend would have been proud with some of the moves LeVert had in the second half. The former Wolverine star’s crossover handle was so ridiculous that it didn’t matter who the Head had on him, they became part of a fourth quarter highlight reel. But the 23-year-old wasn’t the only player who came alive in the final 12 minutes.
Dinwiddie was largely quiet through the first three quarters of the game, scoring seven in the first 36 minutes. Then he erupted in the fourth quarter, going 3-for-4 to score eight points. The 24-year-old was unstoppable in getting to the rim, showing off his hops in an impressive dunk with 1:38 remaining in the game.