Brooklyn Nets: 5 takeaways from satisfying win over Knicks
By Phil Watson
1. Nets creating their own problems
The Brooklyn Nets, in a game they won by two points, were outscored in points off turnovers 29-5.
The Nets turned the ball over 22 times Friday night after giving it up 19 times in the opener in Detroit. In the NBA, 41 turnovers in two games usually means you went 0-2.
More from Nothin' But Nets
- Nets star Mikal Bridges labeled top ‘trade target’ for serious title contender
- LAST CHANCE: Get $2,500 Bonus for Any NBA Draft Bet Before FanDuel Promo Expires Sunday
- Bet365 New Jersey Bonus: Bet $1, Win $200 GUARANTEED on ANY NBA Finals Bet Tonight!
- BetRivers NJ Promo: Bet $500 on the NBA/NHL Finals, Get a Bonus-Bet Refund if You Miss!
- DraftKings New Jersey Promo: Bet $5, Win $150 INSTANTLY on ANY NBA Playoff Game!
Brooklyn’s defense and good shooting enabled them to make up for the sloppy ball control, but it was something that bit them in the loss Wednesday and will continue to bite the the Nets if they don’t clean it up, and soon.
It’s hard to point fingers at a single player Friday night — Joe Harris, Caris LeVert, D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie each turned the ball over four times.
The hard fact is that Brooklyn shouldn’t have had to scrap down to the wire to win this game. Because of the turnover differential, though, they gave up 22 more shots to New York than they took themselves, 97-75.
This should have been a relatively easy win, all things being equal. But because the ball security was just so abysmal, they turned an easy victory into a fight to the finish.
They’ve got no one to blame but themselves, either, because most of the miscues were self-inflicted rather than being the result of great Knicks defense.
Russell had two giveaways where he was in the air on the baseline and whipped no-look passes back out to the top, directly into the hands of New York defenders each time. LeVert had a giveaway because he got caught in the air with nowhere to go and nothing to do.
The concern is this: The Nets have had these issues against a pair of non-playoff teams from a season ago. What happens when they play one of the better teams in the East? We’re about to find out as Brooklyn goes to Indiana Saturday night.