Brooklyn Nets: Player grades from 113-107 win at Madison Square Garden

5 of 5

27 MIN, 10 PTS, 3-for-7 (1-for-2), 7 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO, 1 BLK, -2. C. Brooklyn Nets. JARRETT ALLEN. C+

Jarrett Allen didn’t have a star-level performance Friday night, but he had some solid moments in the win.

Not having to deal with Enes Kanter, Allen patrolled the defensive glass well, was available on switches and had a good all-around night at the defensive end.

Offensively was another story. As he gains experience, he’ll get more comfortable with the ball in his hands, but he still has a tendency to panic just a bit when pressured.

He also missed three of his six free throw attemps, including back-to-back misses late in the fourth quarter when Brooklyn was trying to protect a lead. He’s got too good a stroke — as evidenced by a pretty corner 3 — for that.

For Allen, comfort in situations is something that should develop in time, but it can get a bit dicey at this point.

21 MIN, 5 PTS, 2-for-2, 8 REB, 3 PF, 1 STL, 2 TO, 1 BLK, +8. C. Brooklyn Nets. ED DAVIS. B+

Ed Davis, professional basketball player.

There’s really no other way to put it. Davis does what he does, doesn’t try to do what he doesn’t and is willing and able to do the dirty work inside.

He had a team-high eight rebounds in 21 minutes Friday night, showing why he was the top player in the NBA in rebounds off the bench last season, and he’s never a player who will moan about his touches.

Offensively, he’s content to get some putbacks, dunks and short bunnies around the rim while setting picks, rolling with a purpose and crashing the glass.

He’s everything we expected and will play a valuable role this season.

12 MIN, 10 PTS, 4-for-5 (0-for-1), 3 REB (1 ORB), 2 PF, 1 TO, 1 BLK, +4. PF. Brooklyn Nets. RODIONS KURUCS. A-

He isn’t going to wow you with his athletic physique. He’s not going to impress you with his speed. Honestly, he looks a little discombobulated out there at times.

But Rodions Kurucs just keeps making good things happen when he’s given minutes.

The second-round pick from Latvia via FC Barcelona is a terrific energy guy, a player who just plays so damned hard that he seems to bring out more effort from the other players on the floor with him.

And even when he makes mistakes, they’re usually done with enthusiasm and fire, such as his technical foul Friday night for hanging onto the rim and smacking the backboard after he put back a Joe Harris miss.

Something Kurucs showed Friday we hadn’t seen before — some nice little dribble moves to laterally create space for a jumper that looked very smooth.

Next. 25 greatest individual games in Nets history. dark

He may not get a ton of minutes, but at this point he’s earned some rotation time and will keep picking up more if he continues to be that guy who just makes things happen.