Brooklyn Nets: 3 takeaways from a sweeping win over Nuggets

2. Russell played like an All-Star

D’Angelo Russell had struggled a bit since being named Friday to his first NBA All-Star Game. In two games since he was selected by Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers, Russell was just 15-for-37 from the floor and 5-for-14 from deep.

He still had scored 41 points in losses to the Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks, but had struggled at the offensive end along with the rest of the Brooklyn Nets, with 11 assists against six turnovers in the two-game span.

He didn’t have a huge first half against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday with 10 points and five assists on 4-of-10 shooting, but did throw down just his second dunk of the season.

But in the third quarter, Russell went off.

He scored 12 points, hitting 3-of-4 from deep, deeper and deepest as the Nets pushed their lead to 21 points.

Along the way, he took a little pitch from Joe Harris somewhere in Clinton Hill and pulled up.

Russell is seventh in the NBA with 151 made 3s and, at his current rate of 2.7 makes per game, is on pace to fly past Allen Crabbe’s single-season franchise record of 201 set last season.

Russell was 6-for-9 from long range on Wednesday, pushing his percentage this season up to 38.0, which is a career-best,

But Russell was also seeing the floor extremely well, with 11 assists, giving him six games with at least 20 points and 10 assists this season after he had just one last year.

And when he’s not in the game, he’s doing stuff like this.

He has stepped forward this season as the unquestioned leader of the Nets and is taking them to places most didn’t expect the team to be in a position to go this season — the thick of a playoff race.