History was made as the Nets and Rockets shattered the NBA’s three-point attempts record with a combined 89 shots from behind the arc. But that was the one of the few highlights in a tough 117-103 loss for an undermanned Brooklyn team.
Here are three quick observations from the action:
Injuries, fatigue take toll on Nets
Brooklyn gave the Western Conference leaders a fight throughout the first three quarters, but the team’s lengthy inactive list and fatigue caught up with it down the stretch. Put this in perspective: The Nets’ top four scorers (D’Angelo Russell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe) were unable to play on Monday – a staggering 61.4 points of their 110.6 nightly average.
Carroll and Hollis-Jefferson’s defensive contributions were especially missed against Rockets star James Harden, who took advantage of the Nets’ injury-depleted side to the tune of 34 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists on 13 for 20 shooting.
The Isaiah Whitehead show
Whitehead made the most of his return to the Nets from the G League as he matched his career-high with 24 points in 27 minutes on 63 percent shooting. The 22-year-old has struggled to get consistent playing time this season after a promising 2016, but he definitely gave coach Kenny Atkinson something to think about on Monday.
Here’s a telling stat from the midway point of the fourth quarter:
Whitehead tonight: 21 points (9-of-13 FG)
Whitehead's first 5 games of the season: 18 points (7-of-20 FG)
It’s raining threes!
Atkinson comes from the Mike D’Antoni coaching tree and both men praised each other prior to the game.
The Rockets head coach then joked that the teams might break one of the NBA’s three-point records due to their similar offensive approach. His words proved prophetic.
An action-packed first half saw the two sides launch an incredible 52 threes, but the pace of the game slowed considerably after the Rockets took a large lead in the fourth quarter. Thankfully, it appeared as if both sides wanted to play a part in history instead of letting the clock run. Joe Harris hit a three with 1:11 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the combined attempts record before the Rockets’ Bobby Brown missed from behind the arc to set the new NBA mark.