As the Brooklyn Nets come out of the All-Star break, let’s reset. They’re due to return to the court Thursday in Philadelphia for the first of 29 games remaining the season. The Nets are currently 25-28 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
“After All-Star break, every team picks it up a little bit because they know it’s the home stretch of the season and guys are fighting for playoff spots, guys are fighting for placement, home court advantage, whatever it may be,” said DeAndre Jordan. “So we know how serious that is and we just have to be able to pick our intensity up and hopefully surpass other teams too.”
The Nets are six games behind sixth-place Indiana (32-23) and two games ahead of eighth-place Orlando (24-31). They have a five-game edge on ninth-place Washington (20-33). The Nets have maintained playoff position despite being without Kyrie Irving for 33 games and Caris LeVert for 25 games. Jordan has missed eight games, and David Nwaba was lost for the season with an Achilles’ injury in mid-December.
“Right now we’re solidly in seventh,” said Spencer Dinwiddie. “You don’t want to give up ground to Orlando. You also understand you’ve got a long climb to get to Indiana. So if you have aspirations of doing that, then it starts immediately after the break. It really started before the break but we capitalized on that momentum and hopefully carried into the games after that.”
BEFORE THE BREAK
The Nets closed out with seven wins in their last 10 games before the All-Star break, including back-to-back victories over Indiana and second-place Toronto (40-15). In beating the defending champion Raptors, the Nets halted their 15-game win streak, four days after coming up short in a 119-118 loss in Toronto.
“I think we understand that there’s potential to see these teams down the road in a more important scenario, so it’s important that we play well,” said Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson after the Toronto win. “It’s important that we get this information against a really good team if you have to face off against them in the playoffs. Obviously, this wasn’t a playoff game, but it gave us good information. I think when we’re healthy and we have our whole roster intact, we’ll be pretty good. Let’s see how this stretch after the All-Star break goes. It’s important. We really want to gain some momentum, be playing well at the end of the season. That’s the goal right now.”
The road between Christmas and the All-Star break was a challenging one. The Nets were 16-13 and winners of 12 of 18 games before Christmas, but then lost 12 of 14. Along the way they added Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert back into the lineup. After losing five straight in a stretch that included conference leaders Milwaukee and the Lakers, plus Utah and two games against Philadelphia, they regrouped by winning five out of seven, even as they lost Irving again to knee sprain on Feb. 1.
It carried over when the schedule stiffened again before the break. After coming up short on the final possession in Toronto, the Nets came from behind the final minute to beat the Pacers 106-105, then led the Raptors nearly wire-to-wire in a 101-90 win.
“I think we’re starting to understand what that physicality means against a top team, especially in the fourth quarter,” said Atkinson. “Let’s face it, the veterans in this league, the Wilson Chandlers, the DeAndre Jordans, the Garrett Temples, those guys, they understand what it takes. Sometimes, it’s not that the young guys don’t want to do it, they just haven’t been through it enough and these guys know how to bring it every game. They know how to bring it in the important moments. I’m starting to discover this team. I know it’s the All-Star break, ‘Well, coach, you should know your team,’ and it’s not that easy. Even the new guys, DeAndre, I’m starting to get to know these guys better, that’s why I think the longer we work together the better we’re going to get and the more continuity we have the better we’re going to get. The talent is there.”
HITTING THE ROAD
The Nets played 13 of their last 20 games before the All-Star break. Two of the seven road games were against the Sixers and Knicks, not requiring a flight. Another was a quick trip to Washington.
The final two months of the season will be different. The Nets play six of their first seven games after the break on the road. There are 13 home games and 16 road games remaining, including three, four-game road trips. That includes a March West Coast trip and an almost-season-closing trek through Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Chicago and Cleveland before the Nets finish the regular season at home against Milwaukee on April 15.
The Nets are currently 16-12 at home and 9-16 on the road.
CHECKING THE STATS
A quick snapshot of some key statistical categories heading into the final segment of the season:
The Nets are second in rebounds per game (52.0) and ninth in rebound percentage (51.1). They’re fifth in points in the paint (50.1) and 10th in second-chance points (13.4).
Brooklyn is sixth in 3-pointers attempted per game (37.4), ninth in 3-pointers made (12.8) and 25th in 3-point percentage (34.2).
The Nets are ninth in defensive rating (107.7) and 22nd in offensive rating (107.3). They’re fourth in opponent field goal percentage (44.1) and opponent effective field goal percentage (50.4).
Since Dec. 1, the Nets have been fourth in the league in defensive rating over their last 34 games.
“Going into the All-Star break, I know we have 30-something games left, but we’re a top 10 defensive team,” said Kenny Atkinson after the win over Toronto. “Obviously, offensively we have a ways to go. But that’s a nice — you know I said, what was our identity? That looks like our identity right now if you say pick one thing that the Nets are doing well, and I think our defense will probably be top eight after this game. So we have to continue that and then shoot the ball a little better on offense.”