Nets Notes: Brooklyn's Big 3 Back and Sharp Against Golden State - Brooklynnets.com

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Brooklyn had its big three back together again on Saturday night, and things looked pretty much the same as they did the last time we saw them.

With Kevin Durant returning after missing three games due to COVID health and safety protocols, the Nets beat the Golden State Warriors 134-117 on Saturday night, their first game topping 120 points since the last time Durant played a full game; a 124-120 win over the LA Clippers on Feb. 2.

At that point Brooklyn was rolling; winner of nine of its previous 12 games, averaging an insane 137.3 points in its previous four. A slight stumble followed before the Nets righted things with Wednesday’s win over Indiana. That sent them into the start of a five-game road trip that would tip off with Durant’s return to action, and return to Golden State to face the Warriors for the first time as a Net.

He got rolling quickly with eight of his 20 points in the first quarter, also finishing with six assists and five rebounds.

“I was just trying to play aggressive and take what the game gives me,” said Durant. “Tonight we was able to move the ball so well that everybody got touches and shots. You know, we didn't have to rely too much on isolation and one-on-one play. You saw that tonight, we’ve got six guys in double figures and it could have been nine guys in double figures. So, that’s the formula for us, move the basketball, play great defense and get out and run.”

The Nets have now played six full games with the Durant/Harden/Irving trio all active (discounting Durant’s fractured evening against Toronto) and they’re 5-1 in those games, including five straight wins.

Against Golden State, they combined for 62 points and 26 assists, with the Nets plus-22 in the 21 minutes they played together. Over those 22 minutes, Brooklyn shot 58.8 percent overall and 43.8 percent from 3-point range, with the Nets posting a 144.9 offensive efficiency over that stretch.

“That’s what they do,” said Nets head coach Steve Nash. “They’re incredibly talented, and they love the game. They came to play and that’s the luxury we have of having those offensive players. It’s still a work in progress, and our defense has got to improve, but I thought tonight we took a step defensively, but as far as the offense, that’s what those guys can do, draw a lot of attention, play off one another and create for their teammates or themselves.”

“I think this just goes back to what I said for the past few weeks of just not taking any day for granted,” said Irving. “We don’t want to take our greatness for granted. In terms of where it is now, we want to hold each other accountable to reach another level in the long term. So using these regular-season games, this West Coast trip, the last few games without KD, I think this is our sixth game where me, James and KD have played together, so we’re just trying to build some camaraderie out there and just have fun and have fun dominating. Obviously, we played against a good team tonight with Steph (Curry) leading the group, and it was just a great challenge to start off the West Coast trip. But we look forward to continuing to have performances where we understand coming into the game that we have to sacrifice, each one of us, in order to be at our highest potential as a team. It’s not an individual game so much anymore. We’re not called upon to just be the main guys. We’ve got to sacrifice and it’s fun.”

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