Brooklyn Nets: 5 takeaways from 110-108 overtime win at Detroit

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4. Kenny Atkinson doled out some heavy minutes

After a season in which no Brooklyn Net averaged 30 minutes per game, coach Kenny Atkinson opted to lean heavily on four players Monday night in Detroit.

Yes, the game went to overtime, but even so, it’s unusual for starters to log the heavy minutes borne by Caris LeVert (36 minutes), Jarrett Allen (33 minutes) and D’Angelo Russell (32 minutes).

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After Allen Crabbe exited with a sprained left ankle early in the game, reserve Treveon Graham also got a lot of playing time, logging 34 minutes off the bench.

The Nets did go 11 deep on Monday. DeMarre Carroll started and logged 23 minutes. Off the bench, Jared Dudley played 24 minutes, Joe Harris 23, Spencer Dinwiddie 21 and Ed Davis 20.

Rookie Dzanan Musa saw his first action as a Net, logging 11 minutes, and Rodions Kurucs — who had a huge fourth quarter against the Knicks on Wednesday — played seven minutes and was active, finishing with four points and five rebounds.

Atkinson told the press that Kenneth Faried would play on Monday, but the former Denver Nugget forward took a DNP, as did rookies Jordan McLaughlin, Nuni Omot and Theo Pinson.

Maybe Atkinson was using this game in a way akin to the way NFL teams use the third preseason game — play the starters a lot and then basically shut them down for the regular season.

Crabbe’s injury obviously affected the backcourt rotations, but that doesn’t account for Allen’s heavy workload.