NBA: Brooklyn dominates Philly early to clinch four game streak
New York, New York - The Brooklyn Nets dominated their divisional foes the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night to extend their current winning streak to four games.
The Nets beat the Sixers 114-105 for their fifth win in the last six games, while the Philly suffered through a three-game skid of their own.
The first half of the game had Brooklyn’s name written all over it, as they put up an impressive 39 points in the first quarter, leading the Sixers by 14 heading into the second.
They didn’t score as much in their second period, but still held off Philly long enough to hang onto a 66-48 advantage at halftime.
The Sixers made some serious adjustments in the third and held the Nets to only 19 points, cutting their deficit to just six points.
Philly kept up the pressure and managed to tie the score with just over three minutes left in regulation.
But Brooklyn drained the buckets they needed during the game's final minutes in order to regain the lead and hold off the Sixers for the win.
The player spotlight
With all the hits Covid-19 has been dealing the NBA recently, the Nets were one of the unfortunate teams affected.
Brooklyn went into Thursday night’s matchup without seven otherwise active players, which left superstar Kevin Durant (33) with a lot of weight to carry.
He answered the call with seemingly little effort, including a big fourth-quarter punch where he scored eight points in the last three minutes. It gave the Nets the lead back on their way to closing out the game.
With such a big game, Durant also tallied his tenth double-double of the season.
He finished the night 13-for-24 shooting overall for a game-high 34 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
The big picture
In the Atlantic Division, the Nets are definitely running the show, having a full six-and-a-half games over the next team behind them, the 76ers.
But it doesn’t come without a price to pay.
While seven players are sidelined under the league’s virus protocols, including James Harden, Brooklyn had no choice but to have Durant take control of the game and lead them to victory.
However, Nets coach Steve Nash wants to limit the constant wear and tear on his best players, including keeping their playing time under a favorable threshold.
On Thursday night, Durant played 39 out of 48 minutes, which is on the high end of game play for someone who consistently puts in a high level of effort night-in and night-out.
Hopefully, for Brooklyn’s sake, their missing players can return sooner rather than later and get back to carrying their own weight.
On Saturday, the Nets will stay home to face the Magic while on Sunday, the Sixers will host the Pelicans.
Cover photo: imago/ZUMA Press