three takeways

Alex Labidou

The Nets saw their season-high three-game win streak come crashing to an end in a woeful 110-97 defeat to the Celtics in their final game of the season.

Brooklyn has made plenty of strides this season, winning eight more games than the 2016-17 campaign, but Wednesday night’s performance sent the team a humbling reminder: There are no easy games in the NBA.

The Celtics sat all of their starters and largely used fringe players and still managed to dominate the Nets, who had several key members of their rotation playing. Some familiar issues came back to haunt Brooklyn at the TD Garden. The team was outrebounded by the hosts 62-45, was outscored in the paint 64-50, and gave away 16 turnovers.

Aron Baynes powered Boston’s commanding performance with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Nik Stauskas scored 18 points and added four rebounds to lead the Nets.

During the Nets three-game win streak, they appeared to address several issues that hurt them in losses. They improved defensively, especially on the boards, and the moved the ball well. On Wednesday night, they struggled in those areas.

The team was sloppy with the ball and dominated in the frontcourt, which is inexcusable considering that Boston’s starters haven’t played much together. Brooklyn’s inability to find any cohesion offensively was evident by their struggles on the floor – shooting just 40.7 percent (27.5 percent from downtown).

There weren’t many positives in Brooklyn’s performance, but Stauskas’ confident performance was a highlight.

The fourth-year guard has had inconsistent playing time throughout his time with the Nets, so it is to his credit that he continues to fight hard when given opportunities. The 24-year-old’s was assertive from the minute he checked in and helped Brooklyn try to rally back from 23 points down.

At one point when Brooklyn made a 7-0 rally in the fourth quarter, Stauskas came in thundering down the lane for a fierce slam over two Celtics defenders.

It’s plays like that show he is a potentially-effective scorer in the NBA.

Fortunately for P.J. Brown, his franchise record of 16 games with at least one block as a rookie remains as the NBA regular season came to an end on Wednesday. Still, Allen definitely made his mark with yet another game with at least one block, extending his streak to 14 games.

Though Allen struggled defensively against Baynes, he remained efficient on the offensive end – scoring 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting and added seven rebounds. The center also finished with the highest field goal percentage of any Nets rookie at 58.9 percent.

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Brooklyn Nets 97-110 Boston Celtics: Three Takeaways

BROOKLYN – Sometimes the best birthday gift is the one you get yourself. That was certainly the case for Allen Crabbe, whose stunning career-high 41 points on his 26th birthday sparked the Nets to a 114-105 victory over the Bulls. 

Crabbe got hot early and never looked back as he scored 17 of Brooklyn’s opening 19 points against Chicago at Fan Appreciation Night.

“I shook his hand after the game and it was still hot, still cooking,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said after the game. “I thought his overall game was good, obviously started out hot and kept it going…He’s really finishing the season the way we’re asking the team to finish, on a strong note.”

Crabbe was also aided by strong performances from D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie, who combined for 41 points and 18 assists. Former Net Sean Kilpatrick led the Bulls with 16 points.

After missing out a three-game win streak on their previous four attempts, Brooklyn finally accomplished the feat on Monday. The Nets can extend that streak to four games on Wednesday when they travel to Boston to face the Celtics.

Confident, Assertive, Dangerous – Crabbe was nothing short of incredible against the Bulls, who had no answer for the guard.

Crabbe was feeling it from the start against the Bulls as he scored 17 of Brooklyn’s 19 points. He would enter halftime with 29 points on 8-of-10 shooting. In the second half, he would continue to assert himself with another 12 points to cap off a career night. Put this into perspective, Crabbe missed just three shots for the entire game in a highly-efficient and effective outburst against Chicago. He is now averaging 28.6 points on 61.4 percent shooting.

“The ball’s going in the hoop for me. Like I’ve said from the jump, I’ve been capable of doing this all season,” Crabbe said about his recent hot streak. “So I mean its starting to come around for me. I’m starting to find my rhythm, and you know just getting more comfortable within the flow of the offense.

“Tonight was just a night where I’m glad I had a night on my birthday, and we got the win. It just puts the cherry on top.”

Dante Cunningham, who has played with several stars around the NBA, including Brandon Roy in his prime and Anthony Davis, called Crabbe’s performance one of the best he’s seen.

“That’s definitely a top [performance],” Cunningham told BrooklynNets.com. “This late in the season, to continue to get better and that’s 40 points. It’s just tremendous leadership on his part and our part to still be locked in.”

When D’Angelo Russell finished the first quarter with two points on 1-for-5 shooting, it appeared as if his recent slump had carried into another game. But thankfully for the Nets and their fans, that wasn’t the case.

Russell would pour in 19 points in the remaining 36 minutes to finish with 21 points and once again showed off his versatility with 11 assists and six rebounds.

“I try to pass the ball to whoever’s open. Coach gives me that freedom,” Russell said. “The more I’m here, the more trust will slowly elevate, but we got shot-makers around here. They make it easier for me so I appreciate my teammates for that.”

All Dinwiddie needed was a fresh cut. The 25-year-old trimmed his season-long Afro to go with a low Caesar in the final home game of the season and it appeared to reinvigorate his game. 

Reinserted into the starting lineup due to injuries to DeMarre Carroll and Joe Harris, Dinwiddie poured in 20 points and seven assists – looking like the clutch player he was earlier in the season. No moment exemplified it more than his timely three with 7:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Bulls had trimmed the score to 93-90 before Dinwiddie’s gave the hosts a six-point cushion.

“I thought Spencer got back to old Spencer,” Atkinson said. “He was aggressive, he was driving it, he was getting to the rim and that’s who he’s been 90 percent of the year.”

Dinwiddie had his struggles over the past month as he was averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 assists on 35.5 percent shooting in April. Atkinson believes that some of Dinwiddie’s recent struggles were down to fatigue.

“He had a little blip where he wasn’t as aggressive and quite honestly, thinking about it, I think some of that could have been fatigue. We played him a lot of minutes, we’ve relied on him for a long time, but I thought it was great tonight…I thought Spencer was really, really good tonight.”

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Chicago Bulls 105-114 Brooklyn Nets: Three Takeaways

With 2:11 remaining in the second quarter, Allen Crabbe had a layup at the rim that would push the Nets’ lead over the Bulls into double digits at 57-46. Brooklyn wouldn’t look back after.

The Nets hit a franchise-record 24 threes to spark the team to a dominant 124-96 victory over the Bulls at the United Center and secure their first season series win over Chicago in eight years. It was a complete performance by Kenny Atkinson’s side in the 28-point result – their second biggest margin of victory of the season. They had an incredible night in moving the ball with 36 assists and held the home side to 40.9 percent shooting.

Quincy Acy led the Nets with a career-high 21 points while former Brooklyn player Sean Kilpatrick led the short-handed Bulls with 20 points. The Nets will now travel to Barclays Center looking to get their first three-game win streak of the year when they finish off their home and home series against the Bulls on Monday – Fan Appreciation Night.

Brooklyn has won four of its last five games on the road and Acy is a big part of that success. The veteran reserve has played in four of those five road games, averaging 11.5 points and hitting 57 percent on field goals.

After struggling on threes earlier this season, Acy has been lights out in that area in his last four road games – shooting 52 percent. In order for the Nets’ offensive to be at its best, the team’s shooters have to be on. Atkinson often calls it gravity, meaning that defenders can’t leave any player on the floor open. Acy is important part of that as he often provides spacing from the power forward and center positions when he’s on the floor. The 27-year-old has also continued to play the scrappy, gritty defense that made him a valuable player in his six years in the NBA. 

There were a lot of positives in this game, more than this space can probably fit, but the Nets’ work on the defensive end was noteworthy. Nets held the Bulls to just 40.9 percent shooting, including a quiet night from downtown (20.7 percent). The latter is especially impressive as coming into Saturday night’s game, Chicago was actually the hottest team in the league in three-point shooting over the past three games – hitting 48 percent.

Now, obviously there were some factors that benefitted Brooklyn in its stingy defense. The Bulls were without their standout rookie Lauri Markkanen and were also missing Kris Dunn. But instead of allowing the hosts to get into the game, the Nets were relentless from the start. They wouldn’t fall into the mistakes that plagued them throughout the season in terms of playing to their opponents.

The Nets are now 13-1 this season when holding their opponent under 100 points.

The 25-year-old has struggled to find consistency at times this season, but he’s been assertive in his last two outings – both Nets wins. Crabbe is averaging 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds on 52 percent shooting in that stretch.

After the game, Crabbe pointed to the Nets’ effective ball movement as the reason why he was able to find so many good looks throughout the game. He would have likely added to his 20 points on Saturday if the Nets hadn’t built a 19-pont lead heading into the fourth quarter. It will be interesting to see if this current run can carry over to Brooklyn’s final two games of the season.

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Brooklyn Nets 124-96 Chicago Bulls: Three Takeaways

After losing 10 straight games to the Bucks, the Nets ended their woes against Milwaukee in a dramatic 119-111 win at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Brooklyn’s upset victory was powered by Allen Crabbe’s team-high 25 points on offense and Jarrett Allen’s five blocks on defense.

It was an impressive turnaround for Kenny Aktinson’s side, which had played poorly in back-to-back losses to the Pistons and the Sixers. The Nets had also struggled against the Bucks in the previous two matchups of the season series. In the first two games of the series, Brooklyn had trailed a combined 120-76 at halftime. On Thursday, the visitors pounced the Bucks early and wouldn’t relent, taking a seven-point into the break.

Despite two lengthy runs by the Bucks in the second half, the Nets responded with a 36-point fourth quarter to seal the team’s first victory against the hosts since March 2015. The team was able to overcome an impressive performance from Khris Middleton (31 points on 9-of-14 shooting) and a sizeable points in the paint deficit (64-38) due to a sizzling night from downtown – going 19-of-39. The team also responded to Atkinson’s plea to focus on rebounding and matched the Bucks effort on the glass with 41 boards.

Brooklyn will now travel to Chicago to face the Bulls in the first of a home-and-home series on Saturday.

Crabbe hadn’t been at his best lately, averaging just 8.4 points in his last five games, but he was lights out against the Bucks on Thursday. The 25-year-old missed the Nets previous game against the Sixers, but immediately showed no ill-effects – going 3-for-3 in the first quarter.

 Crabbe would keep on hitting shots at critical moments for the Nets in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter. With the game on the line, he hit a three as the shot clock was about to expire that gave the Nets a three-point lead. Crabbe would immediately follow that with another clutch shot from downtown to double Brooklyn’s lead.

Crabbe finished the game shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and hit 5-for-10 threes. He was also impactful from the defensive end as he had seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

As big as Crabbe was on offense, Jarrett Allen and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s performances on the defensive end were equally as crucial. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a quiet game offensively, finishing with 19 points on 7-for-21 shooting and the Nets’ frontcourt pair was a big reason why.

Allen and Hollis-Jefferson combined for nine of Brooklyn’s 12 blocks. Even more critical was the timing of several of those rejections. Every time that the Bucks appeared to be going on a significant run, both players made emphatic swats that changed the momentum of the game.

They were both also effective on the glass as well, combining for 21 rebounds. They're the first pair of Nets to register 10+ rebounds and 4+ blocks in the same game since Benoit Benjamin and Derrick Coleman in the 1993-94 season (12/16/93 vs. Charlotte).

Crabbe wasn’t the only Nets backcourt player to break out of a recent slump as D’Angelo Russell was the catalyst of the Brooklyn’s strong start. Coming into Thursday’s matchup, Russell had averaged just 9.4 points in the past five games – shooting a cold 34 percent. He snapped out of his recent woes right at tip-off against the Bucks.

Russell would drop 18 points on Milwaukee in the first half, his third-highest scoring half of the season. That was with Eric Bledsoe – a solid perimeter defender – guarding him. It was an impressive opening 24 minutes for the guard as he used a combination of drives, mid-range shots and threes to get his points.

Russell would finish with 22 points on 56.3 percent shooting and added five assists.

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Brooklyn Nets 119-111 Milwaukee Bucks: Three Takeaways

PHILADELPHIA – The Nets couldn’t take advantage of Joel Embiid’s absence in a humbling 121-95 defeat at Wells Fargo Center.

A strong start from downtown gave Brooklyn a five-point lead with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter, but the team was quickly undone by its inability to find any consistency on offense. Midway in the second quarter, the Nets were shooting 28 percent from the field and only seven of their 27 field goal attempts were not threes. They would enter the second half trailing 61-49 and it would only get worse in the final 24 minutes – allowing Philadelphia to score 32 points in the third quarter.

Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 16 points while J.J. Redick paced the Sixers with 19 points. Brooklyn’s road trip now moves on to Milwaukee, where the team will face the Bucks on Thursday.

“I thought Philly was great and we were not very good,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I do think your mind has to be right, your mental focus has to be right and it wasn’t there. It was evident in our passing, our execution and our defense. Just not engaged, either physically or mentally. This is what happens in this league, that happens against a good team and you take 30 on the chin.”

Despite Embiid being sidelined, Brooklyn appeared to be immediately deterred from attacking the rim due to an aggressive Philadelphia defense. Robert Covington and Richaun Holmes ensured that the hosts remained effective at defending the rim as they combined for six blocks. As a result, the Nets became over-reliant on the three as 20 of their first 27 attempts were from downtown. The team would finish the game being outscored 60-32 in the paint.

“We did not finish well at the rim,” Atkinson said. “I don’t know how many turnovers we finished with, but we were sloppy – we didn’t take care of the ball.”

Brooklyn finished with 18 turnovers, which Philadelphia converted into 21 points. When the team did attack the rim, it didn’t convert on free throws – shooting just 10-for-23.

Rebounding and Defensive Issues Resurface

The Nets issues didn’t stop with just offensive execution, they also struggled to compete on the glass, which is concerning considering Embiid’s absence.

Brooklyn was outrebounded by 20 boards as Philadelphia collected 56 rebounds. When Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was reinserted into the starting lineup, the team initially saw some improvement in that area. Yet, in their past two games, Brooklyn has fallen into some bad habits and it has affected its effort on the glass and defensively.

“When you don’t have physical engagement, or mental engagement, it just becomes a layupathon,” Atkinson said. “They just kept on laying it up on us and that’s just the reality of what it was.”

Joe Harris agreed with his coach’s assessment.

“I think a lot of was effort defensively, intensity defensively.” Harris said. “We just didn’t do a good enough job of disrupting their rhythm. It seemed like they kind of got whatever they wanted.”

Philadelphia finished the game shooting 54.3 percent from the field.

Nik Stauskas, Jahlil Okafor Take Advantage of Playing Time

Stauskas and Okafor have struggled to find consistent roles on the Nets, but the two got some playing time in the fourth quarter. While the game was already decided at that stage, it was opportunity for both to showcase why they deserve more minutes in the final four games of the season and both took advantage of it.

Okafor battled through a turned ankle to finish with 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting and five rebounds. The center, who isn’t known for his outside touch, showed some prowess on the perimeter – hitting a midrange shot and a corner three.

“It’s an opportunity to play and get a feel for it,” Okafor said. “Get some of your rhythm back.”

He added, “The next four games, my teammates and I want to finish off on the right foot so that we can have a good offseason.”

Stauskas had a strong third quarter, hitting three from downtown and shooting 5-of-7 to score 13 points in seven minutes. While he wasn’t able to build on that, he continues to show that when he is on, he can score plenty of points in a hurry.

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Brooklyn Nets 95-121 Philadelphia 76ers: Three Takeaways

BROOKLYN – Less than 24 hours from a dramatic overtime victory in Miami, fatigue appeared to be a factor in the Nets’ disappointing 108-96 defeat to the Pistons on Sunday night.

Despite fighting throughout the game, Brooklyn never found a rhythm and appeared disjointed on both sides of the court at times. The team also struggled mightily on the glass, letting their opponents have a 53-40 advantage on the boards.

Reggie Jackson led the way for Detroit with 29 points while Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen were Brooklyn’s top scorers with 15 apiece. The Nets now travel to Philadelphia to face the Sixers on Tuesday.

Nets Can’t Overcome Poor Perimeter Defense, Rebounding Disparity

The Pistons two point guards of Jackson and Ish Smith combined for 46 points on 53 percent shooting – neither players are All-Stars but they certainly played that way on Sunday. Smith was a handful for Brooklyn in the first half as he went 7-for-7 with 17. Jackson would pick up the slack in the second half, getting 11 free throw attempts and scoring 21 points in the final 24 minutes of action. The Nets had no answer for either player’s drives to the basket and were punished as a result.

“We didn’t [slow them down],” Kenny Atkinson said after the game. “I thought we didn’t have it tonight. Whatever that is, that energy, that juice, it wasn’t there.”

The Pistons’ control of the glass also played a part. Andre Drummond was a significant factor as he had 14 rebounds to go along with 13 points before being ejected for an altercation with Quincy Acy, who was also ejected. With Drummond out of the game, the Nets responded with an 8-2 run, but it wasn’t enough to secure a lead in the fourth quarter.

“I think that was our opportunity to make a run and take advantage of Drummond not being in the game,” D’Angelo Russell said. “We cut it close, but we couldn’t get that stop that we needed.”

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s Solid Run Continues

Despite the result, one positive development was Hollis-Jefferson’s performance as he dropped 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists while shooting 54.5 percent. It continued a solid stretch by the forward, who is averaging 16.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in his past five games.

Atkinson highlighted the 23-year-old’s impact prior to the game against the Pistons.

“You can trust him. In the end of the day, if you look at the stat sheet, he’s out there 30 minutes, 39 minutes because you want defense, you want rebounding…we can give him freedom on offense that we feel OK with,” Atkinson said. “With these teams switching, you need someone in the post that you can throw it to and make a play.

“Again, it’s not always perfect but our guys trust him to be able to punish a mismatch. Punish a small guy when he gets into the post.”

Hollis-Jefferson has extended his double-digit scoring streak to 12 games.

Jarrett Allen finished the game with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots – with the last stat being noteworthy.

Allen currently has the longest streak of blocks by any rookie in the NBA this season, going nine straight games with at least one block. It’s also the longest stretch by any Nets rookie since Brook Lopez’s streak of 15 games in the 2008-09 season. Allen acknowledged he’s working to be consistent on both sides of the floor.

“I would just say trying to be more aggressive,” he said after the game. “It’s another night I’m trying to get more consistent and more aggressive.”

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Detroit Pistons 108-96 Brooklyn Nets: Three Takeaways

Erik Spoelstra called the Nets one of the top-two hard working teams in the NBA and his Heat saw it firsthand on Saturday night.

Miami was just one win away from securing a trip to the postseason, but Brooklyn stunned the hosts in an electric 110-109 victory at American Airlines Arena. This was a gritty win for the Nets that both Kenny Atkinson and his players can likely point to as a momentum-builder.

This was a game that the young Nets might have lost earlier in the season, yet the team’s resiliency paid off to secure their first overtime win of the season. Brooklyn had seven players in double-digit scoring, which was sparked by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s strong 20 point and 14 rebound performance. Goran Dragic and James Johnson were the Heat’s top scorers with 18 points apiece. The Nets secure the season series against the Heat and it's only the second time in their history that they've sealed series wins against both Florida teams in a season. 

“This was a great growth game,” Atkinson told reporters after the game. “A lot of guys stepped up, a lot of guys made plays.”

He added, “When things got a little hairy, we kept our cool [and] kept our defensive discipline.”

The Nets return home to face the Pistons on Sunday night at Barclays Center.

Hollis-Jefferson was a big reason why the Nets were able to get their biggest-ever win at Miami the last time these two teams met at the American Airlines Arena on Dec. 29. He was just as impactful on Saturday.

The third-year forward finished the game with 20 points and 14 rebounds and sparked the Nets’ aggressive defense with two steals. If DeMarre Carroll is the veteran leader of Brooklyn’s locker room, Hollis-Jefferson is the team’s emotional backbone. He often wears his emotions on his sleeves as shown with his technical after he was called for a debatable foul on James Richardson, but he’s also a big reason why the Nets have been in so many close games this year – he is relentless.

When the Nets lost their nine-point lead and the Heat took a 99-98 lead, Hollis-Jefferson refused to give up. He powered down the court and got an and-one chance, which he converted to give the Nets a two-point lead. Most of the talk about Hollis-Jefferson has been about his improvement on offense, but he’s also made plenty of strides in another area as well: Leadership.   

Spencer Dinwiddie’s favorite word this season has been opportunity and he certainly took of advantage of one on Saturday night.

D’Angelo Russell got off to a slow start, going 0-for-5 with two turnovers, and Kenny Atkinson went with his backup point guard for a spark. Dinwiddie responded, pouring in 12 points and 12 assists -- helping the Nets rally from a 22-11 hole in the first quarter to remain toe-to-toe with one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. The game could potentially serve as a much-needed confidence boost for the fourth-year guard.

Dinwiddie’s play earlier this season was one of the biggest stories of the NBA season and he was rewarded with an invite to the Skills Challenge – which he won in stunning fashion. However, he’s struggled to replicate his play from before the All-Star break. Prior to the break, he was averaging 13.6 points and 6.7 assists, which slid to 9.6 ppg and 5.9 apg after it. Dinwiddie was coming off of a game in Orlando where he had just three points and zero assists, so this is a remarkable turnaround for him. The Nets need similar performances to secure wins.

“I felt like [with] D’Angelo, the other guys came in and played great,” Atkinson said. “Caris, Spencer, you just go with it as a coach – it was just a feel.”

It wasn’t the only change to the rotation on Saturday night. The coach brought Quincy Acy, who hadn’t played since March 21, back into the fold and the veteran immediately delivered, hitting back-to-back threes to cut the Heat’s lead to one in the second quarter.  Acy finished with 13 points.

Bench and Aggressive Defense Sparks Result

The Nets average 5.7 steals per game this season, they had 11 on Saturday night. It was a pivotal part of their victory in Miami as the team was constantly looking to disrupt the passing lanes, which they had a fair amount of success in. Brooklyn forced 17 turnovers and converted them into 16 points.

The Nets’ bench was also a significant factor, ensuring that the team wouldn’t have another late-game meltdown. Caris LeVert poured in 19 points and seven assists while Joe Harris had 13 points. Brooklyn’s reserve unit outscored their counterparts 66-40.

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Brooklyn Nets 110-109 Miami Heat (OT): Three Takeaways

The Nets (24-51) struggled in the fourth quarter in their past three games, but they responded in a big way on Wednesday against the Magic (22-52).

Brooklyn broke out of its three-game skid by beating Orlando 111-104 at the Amway Center. The team appeared to tackle its recent struggles with defense, turnovers and rebounding as it had advantages against its opponents in all three areas.

D’Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert led Brooklyn in scoring with 16 points apiece. Nikola Vucevic paced the Magic with 24 points and 15 rebounds. The Nets will now travel to Miami to face the Heat (40-35) in a Saturday night clash.

Here’s Three Observations From the Game:

The Nets’ starters were all in double-digit scoring and D’Angelo Russell played a big part with 12 assists and just two turnovers.

The latter part is especially significant for Russell, who has struggled with giving away the ball at times during the season. Prior to his injury on Nov. 11, he was averaging 4.0 turnovers per game and since his return, he’s had a few games of five or more turnover. However, in his past five games, he’s shown plenty of improvement in his decision-making. He’s been averaging 7.6 assists and just 2.4 turnovers during that span.

What might be even more impressive is the fact that Russell is still dropping highlight-worthy assists, but he’s just picking and choosing the right moments to do so. Check out this assist below:

When the Magic went on a 14-4 run in the third quarter, it appeared as if it would be more of the same from Brooklyn.

The Nets saw a 15-point lead cut to just four heading into the fourth quarter, which was similar to their previous games against Toronto and Cleveland – both losses. Yet, Brooklyn’s defense responded in dramatic fashion in the final 12 minutes.

Orlando wouldn’t convert a field goal for six minutes as the Nets lead swelled up to 19 points. The team was relentless in denying opportunities in the post and cutting drives to the basket. 

Rebounding was another area where the Nets appeared to take some steps forward. The Nets outmuscled on the boards (48-44) and points in the paint (54-52). DeMarre Carroll was a big catalyst towards the team's edge in rebounding as he led the Nets with 12 boards.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of Russell’s playmaking was Allen, who broke out of a recent cold patch to drop 15 points and eight rebounds.

In the past 10 games, the 19-year-old was averaging just 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds – a dip from his scoring February, where he was averaging 12.9 points and 6.8 boards. Some of that is down to Allen hitting the inevitable rookie wall, so it was promising to see him have an assertive performance against a solid veteran in Vucevic.