The Brooklyn Nets held on just long enough, outlasting the Chicago Bulls 110-107 on Sunday. Here are three takeaways from the victory.
They’re not always going to be pretty, but a win is a win. Such an assertion encapsulated the grueling bruise fest that was the Brooklyn Nets’ Sunday matinee matchup against the Chicago Bulls. Despite horrendous ball security and an inability to concretely put the game away early though multiple opportunities presented itself, they won. That’s all that matters.
How the Nets would respond to the departure of Kenny Atkinson—who was well into year four of his tenure before being let go—was unknown. They could play spirited basketball under the tutelage of their new general, Jacque Vaughn, or be completely out of sorts.
They did neither, or a combination of both, it was hard to say. Per ESPN, they shot the ball (50 percent) and connected on 35-41 free throws, good for 85.4 percent. But they also suffered their fair share of self-inflicted wounds—turning the ball over a season-high 29 times.
Luckily for the Nets, the Bulls’ season had been spiraling out of control for weeks and they went into Sunday’s contest without their best player, Zach LaVine. It also appears that their coach, Jim Boylen, is running out of time in his tenure there and the front office could very likely see significant changes this summer.
Yeah, it was a weird one. Here are three takeaways from the contest.