Brooklyn Nets: Player grades from gut-check win at Chicago
By Phil Watson
Ed Davis was in his element Wednesday night — a tough, physical game with a lot of pounding inside.
He cleaned the defensive glass well, even as offensive rebounding opportunities were limited — it was just the third time this season — and the first time since Nov. 4 — that Davis has been held without an offensive board.
But he was tough and efficient defensively, even as the quickness of Bobby Portis underneath caused him some problems.
Shabazz Napier got a surprise call to start the second half and gave the Brooklyn Nets’ stagnant offense a shot in the arm with three assists in just 10 minutes.
That’s a departure for Napier, who is a shoot-first player by nature. But he ran the sets, kept the ball moving and did a very effective job finding shooters and scorers.
It was just the second time in the last seven games that Napier got off the bench, and his first extended playing time since he logged 18 minutes in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 3.