Brooklyn Nets soar into All-Star Break with another win, beat 76ers 100-96

Brooklyn stacks another yet win before the break. Six wins in their last seven games. What do we do now?

The Brooklyn Nets don’t believe in taking off the day before a big trip, Summer Fridays, or any sort of “just get to the end of the week” attitude Millennials have made standard over the past decade (I’m in my mid 20s, so I’m allowed to say that). Heck, they’ve never even liked an Almost Friday post on Instagram.

“I think our guys are ready to play the game,” Jordi Fernández said pregame, once being reminded that the All-Star break sits a day away. “We’re not on break. We’re not on vacation. We have to earn the break.”

Earn it, they did.

At the front of Brooklyn’s assembly line tonight was D’Angelo Russell, who put in 14 of Brooklyn’s first 18 points and didn’t miss until taking a heat check shot with 5:21 to go in the first. That two-touchdown performance gave him his most points in a quarter all season. He went on to finish with 22/4/5 while shooting 9-15 from the field and 3-7 from three.

Although the pick-and-roll feel with Claxton looked a bit out of sync early, Russell’s skills as an isolation scorer outshined that blemish of the early offense.

Russell’s hot, or to keep things Brooklyn-lore accurate, icy start to the game made his first breather something nobody wanted to see him take. But any sighs queued by his initial trip to the bench quickly faded, as the substitution reintroduced us to PG2 Trendon Watford.

That experiment, off to a notably solid start, brought consistent production again tonight, as Wat helped the Nets trot into the second period with a 29-27 lead. Day’Ron Sharpe, who’s also come on of late as an off-the-bench weapon for Brooklyn, also stayed in to help keep the Nets afloat early in the second.

Sharpe finished the game with eight points and nine rebounds in 15 minutes played. Watford added 18 points and two assists while shooting 7-8 from the field. We’re going to need a nickname for this odd pairing if they continue to wreak havoc as reserves…

But for as impactful as Watford and Sharpe have been this month, Brooklyn’s collective defense has been the engine in the backhoe pulling them away from a top-three lottery slot. It was revving in the second period, where the Nets held the 76ers below 40% from the field up until the period’s final 30 seconds.

Paul George, a member of Philly’s supposed “big three” was a zero, sitting with a goose egg at the break, where the Nets maintained a 53-49 advantage. George finished the game with only two points after going 1-7 from the field and 0-5 from deep.

Brooklyn mining for second chance points also contributed significantly to their first half lead, as the Nets led in that department by a 12-2 margin at the half. The Sixers, however, dominated the other side of the hustle department, reeling in a +12 advantage in fast break points.

It became clear that if one team could start picking away at the other’s hustle points the rest of the way, they’d likely walk away as the victors. Nic Claxton understood the assignment, giving his team a jolt at both sides of the ball after each squad came out of the halftime gates looking rather sloppy.

Clax continued his “better late than never” run tonight, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 5-12 from the field. He also got skin on five Sixer shots, giving him his second most rejections in a game this year. However, postgame with Meghan Triplett, he claimed to have had six.

Brooklyn also put the brakes on Philly’s fast break in the third, limiting it to just two points while grabbing two of their own. At the same time, Brooklyn maintained its appetite for glass, grabbing six more offensive rebounds in the third leading to nine more second chance points. The Sixers only scavenged for two.

Philadelphia’s desperation eventually began to show through a sudden wave of traps in the half and full court early in the fourth, challenging Brooklyn’s poise and ability to make the right pass at the right time. Unlike a certain quarterback who let this Giants fan down big time on Sunday, the Nets handled Philly’s blitzes well, inflating a nine point lead with about three to go.

Closing time involved both teams trading a handful of free throws. Keon Johnson got tagged with a flagrant one after a reckless closeout with 2:52 to go that should have made it a six point game, if not for Mr. Whammy, who stepped up and forced two misses.

Cam Johnson was the other closer, getting a swipe and slam on Paul George that put the Nets back up double digits and in position to coast to their second win in a row. That wasn’t the smoothest ride — it was more like Jack Sparrow’s first arrival into Port Royal, as the Nets fumbled six points in the final 40 seconds, but resulted in a win nonetheless.

Okay, now they can go on break.

Final: Brooklyn Nets 100, Philadelphia 76ers 96

Milestone Watch

• Nic Claxton’s 13 and 11 were good for his 11th double-double of the season, a team-high.
• He also recorded multiple blocks (five) for the fifth straight game, a season-best streak
• D’Angelo Russell’s 14 first-quarter points were the most points he’d scored in any quarter this season.
• Keon Johnson’s sixth point of the game was the 1,000th of his NBA career, over half of which have come this season.

Injury Report

For the first time since his Nets debut on New Year’s Day, Maxwell Lewis was active tonight for Brooklyn. He only logged a few seconds of play in the game’s final moments, but 22-year-old’s healthy status was worth celebrating alone.

“Yeah, very happy for him,” Fernández said pregame. “[The injury] was very unfortunate. He just got with us, and threw him into the game, he made a three, and it was one of the weirdest injuries I’ve ever seen. Good thing is that now he’s back. He’s done a great job rehabbing, working with our medical, performance, and now he’s ready to go. So, you know, I’m happy for him and we’ll see if he has a chance to contribute.”

“Good teammate, hard worker, all those things that really match what we’re trying to do here,” Fernández later added. “So, so far, I’m very happy with Max, and you know, building that relationship with him.”

As for forward-looking injury news, Cam Thomas is scheduled to receive an injury update over the All-Star break. He has missed Brooklyn’s last 20 games with a hamstring injury.

Next Up

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Next up for these Nets is a trip away from Brooklyn, but not the one they’re used to. Tonight was Brooklyn’s final game before the All-Star break, which means a quick vacation for everyone besides Cam Johnson, who will participate in the Three-Point Contest on Saturday evening.

Once returning, the Nets will host the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time this season. It’ll be the first of many “reunion” games they’ve had with Cleveland that doesn’t feature Caris LeVert, who the Cavs recently traded away. Kenny Atkinson, Jarrett Allen, DeMarre Carroll, Jordan Ott and Trevor Hendry will all be in the building, however.

• Boxscore: Brooklyn Nets 100, Philadelphia 76ers 96 – NBA