BROOKLYN -- Here’s what we learned after the Nets morning shootaround at Barclays Center on Monday.
Allen Crabbe Hopes to Continue Strong Play
Crabbe is well aware that he has a reputation for being inconsistent on offense. In fact, he might be as frustrated as some of his critics were during some of his shooting slumps this season. Crabbe’s two-game uptick in performances isn’t due to coincidence, it is down to the 25-year-old acknowledging that he needed to change his approach. So far, the new mentality is paying dividends on the court.
“My biggest thing in the league has been my inconsistency,” Crabbe said. “So that’s just biggest part for me now is being consistent with this and keep playing the way I’ve been playing.”
The guard revealed that he started to reevaluate his approach in the Nets’ game against Detroit. Crabbe got off to a slow start at the Little Caesars Arena and instead of being passive, he decided to throw caution to the wind and just keep shooting. It worked as the guard had arguably the best game of his career, going for a career-high 34 points.
“I just stuck with it, that was the first time where I really just fought through the misses,” he said. “I eventually told myself that they would eventually start falling [and] they did. Just that vibe, that energy that I had out there. I was like I could play like that all of the time.”
Crabbe’s teammates and coaches, especially Spencer Dinwiddie, have been ribbing him about his performances throughout the season. When he’s on his game, they call him AC and when he’s off, he’s known as Allen.
“It’s funny though because people know what I can do, what I’m capable of… Just keep sticking it, I’m on a roll, I’m in a groove so going to continue to stay aggressive,” Crabbe said. “Going to continue to keep putting them up and hopefully I can continue to do what I’ve done in the last two games.”
Fans along with his teammates and coaches hope to see more of AC on Monday night against the Clippers.
Nets Hope to Snap Out of Cold Start Streak
Brooklyn is on a five-game losing streak and has just won one of its last 10 games. A big reason behind that is the team’s season-long issues with slow starts. The Nets have trailed after the first quarter for nine out of its last 10 games, with the only exception being their 102-99 loss against the Lakers on Feb. 2.
Veterans DeMarre Carroll and Quincy Acy want to see the Nets change things against Los Angeles on Monday.
“I think we just have to come out and be more aggressive. If we come out being lackadaisical, we’ll be down by 20 in this game,” Carroll said.
The Clippers come into this game having won three out of their last five games, bucking the general consensus that that they’d be less competitive after trading away Blake Griffin.
“They’ve [the Clippers] been playing well since the trade and we have to come out ready, not like we’ve been,” Acy told BrooklynNets.com. “We just need to try to put some water on that fire.”
Brooklyn’s players alluded to the team’s improved depth as the reason behind their recent play.
“Very Athletic, lot of talent on their roster,” Carroll said. “They can score the ball from any position...we have to guard all positions.”
Can the Nets keep Barclays Center streak vs. Clippers going?
Brooklyn currently has an 80 percent win rate against the Clippers at Barclays Center, the team’s best home mark against any opponent.
The last time these two teams faced off at Barclays, the Nets squeaked by in a double-overtime thriller – winning 127-122 on Nov. 16, 2016. Brooklyn has traditionally done well against the Clippers star DeAndre Jordan as its held him to an average of 9.1 points and 9.6 rebounds on 44.8 percent shooting in 18 career appearances.
The Nets hope those trends will continue in the opening game of the season series between these two teams.