There’s bullyball, after which there’s whatever type of beating the Pelicans inflicted Wednesday night on the Nets.
There have been only two good things concerning the Nets’ 130-108 loss: Kevin Durant had an enormous night and everybody got here through it unhurt. Apart from that, it was about as disastrous a season opener because the Nets could’ve pictured of their nightmares, as they were physically dominated before 18,003 at Barclays Center.
The Nets were hammered 36-4 on second-chance points. Let that sink in and marinate, before moving on to the actual fact they were outrebounded 61-39 and outplayed all game long.
Ben Simmons made his long-awaited Nets debut, joining Durant and Kyrie Irving in a latest Big 3. On Wednesday, nevertheless, they looked like a Big 1: Durant was the just one excelling, while the opposite two alternated between poor and invisible against Latest Orleans and Zion Williamson.
Durant did his part with a game-high 32 points and 4 blocked shots. But the remaining of the Nets’ attack looked impotent and inefficient. They created some makeable looks, but couldn’t knock them down — probably because they were busy getting knocked around by Latest Orleans.
Each the Nets and Simmons have said he’ll must be aggressive, and the engine that drives the team.
“If I’m not aggressive, this team’s not going,” Simmons said beforehand. “If I’m not pushing the ball, if I’m not finding my guys, if I’m not attending to the rim, then those easy shots that we get now aren’t going to occur. So I’ve got to be the motor.”
But that motor understandably rusted over in Simmons’ first game since June 20, 2021. He missed all of last season with mental health issues and a herniated disk that required surgery.
Simmons, who was acquired from the 76ers for James Harden in February, wasn’t aggressive enough on the offensive end, and took the aggression overboard on defense. He fouled out with just 4 points on 2-for-3 shooting (each baskets coming on dunks), and added five rebounds and five assists.
Irving struggled to hit open looks. He finished with 15 points on 6-for-19 shooting, but had just 4 points on 2-for-9 from the ground in the primary half. By that point, the Nets had been bludgeoned and battered around to set the tone.
Simmons wasn’t the one All-Star coming back after missing last season. Williamson’s return went much more swimmingly. The burly Pelicans star, who returned from a broken foot in his first game since May 2021, roughed the Nets up for 25 points and nine rebounds.
Brandon Ingram scored a Latest Orleans-high 28 points while center Jonas Valanciunas added 15 points and a game-high 13 boards — six on the offensive glass.
Physicality has all the time been a priority for the Nets, but games like this raise the DEFCON level.
The Nets fell behind by seven right out of the gate, and coach Steve Nash called a timeout together with his team down 11-2. It didn’t help, they usually were thoroughly outclassed by Latest Orleans in almost every way early on.
The Pelicans led 32-14 after the Nets’ wretched first quarter, wherein they shot 6-for-20, committed nine turnovers and were outrebounded 18-8.
Because the Nets were bullied on the offensive glass by Williamson and Valanciunas, the Pelicans grabbed an 11-0 edge in second-chance points.
With the Nets still down 54-40 with 2:24 left in the primary half, Durant got here alive with eight points, two blocks (one on an Ingram dunk attempt) and a steal the remaining of the best way. Royce O’Neale’s putback of his own miss to beat the buzzer pulled the Nets inside eight going into the locker room.
That mini-momentum didn’t last long after they got here back out.
Simmons picked up fouls 4 and five, and an Ingram three-point left the Nets down 82-59. Durant hit a 3-pointer to push it to 87-62, and though the clock read 4:09 left within the third quarter this bloodletting was over.
There’s bullyball, after which there’s whatever type of beating the Pelicans inflicted Wednesday night on the Nets.
There have been only two good things concerning the Nets’ 130-108 loss: Kevin Durant had an enormous night and everybody got here through it unhurt. Apart from that, it was about as disastrous a season opener because the Nets could’ve pictured of their nightmares, as they were physically dominated before 18,003 at Barclays Center.
The Nets were hammered 36-4 on second-chance points. Let that sink in and marinate, before moving on to the actual fact they were outrebounded 61-39 and outplayed all game long.
Ben Simmons made his long-awaited Nets debut, joining Durant and Kyrie Irving in a latest Big 3. On Wednesday, nevertheless, they looked like a Big 1: Durant was the just one excelling, while the opposite two alternated between poor and invisible against Latest Orleans and Zion Williamson.
Durant did his part with a game-high 32 points and 4 blocked shots. But the remaining of the Nets’ attack looked impotent and inefficient. They created some makeable looks, but couldn’t knock them down — probably because they were busy getting knocked around by Latest Orleans.
Each the Nets and Simmons have said he’ll must be aggressive, and the engine that drives the team.
“If I’m not aggressive, this team’s not going,” Simmons said beforehand. “If I’m not pushing the ball, if I’m not finding my guys, if I’m not attending to the rim, then those easy shots that we get now aren’t going to occur. So I’ve got to be the motor.”
But that motor understandably rusted over in Simmons’ first game since June 20, 2021. He missed all of last season with mental health issues and a herniated disk that required surgery.
Simmons, who was acquired from the 76ers for James Harden in February, wasn’t aggressive enough on the offensive end, and took the aggression overboard on defense. He fouled out with just 4 points on 2-for-3 shooting (each baskets coming on dunks), and added five rebounds and five assists.
Irving struggled to hit open looks. He finished with 15 points on 6-for-19 shooting, but had just 4 points on 2-for-9 from the ground in the primary half. By that point, the Nets had been bludgeoned and battered around to set the tone.
Simmons wasn’t the one All-Star coming back after missing last season. Williamson’s return went much more swimmingly. The burly Pelicans star, who returned from a broken foot in his first game since May 2021, roughed the Nets up for 25 points and nine rebounds.
Brandon Ingram scored a Latest Orleans-high 28 points while center Jonas Valanciunas added 15 points and a game-high 13 boards — six on the offensive glass.
Physicality has all the time been a priority for the Nets, but games like this raise the DEFCON level.
The Nets fell behind by seven right out of the gate, and coach Steve Nash called a timeout together with his team down 11-2. It didn’t help, they usually were thoroughly outclassed by Latest Orleans in almost every way early on.
The Pelicans led 32-14 after the Nets’ wretched first quarter, wherein they shot 6-for-20, committed nine turnovers and were outrebounded 18-8.
Because the Nets were bullied on the offensive glass by Williamson and Valanciunas, the Pelicans grabbed an 11-0 edge in second-chance points.
With the Nets still down 54-40 with 2:24 left in the primary half, Durant got here alive with eight points, two blocks (one on an Ingram dunk attempt) and a steal the remaining of the best way. Royce O’Neale’s putback of his own miss to beat the buzzer pulled the Nets inside eight going into the locker room.
That mini-momentum didn’t last long after they got here back out.
Simmons picked up fouls 4 and five, and an Ingram three-point left the Nets down 82-59. Durant hit a 3-pointer to push it to 87-62, and though the clock read 4:09 left within the third quarter this bloodletting was over.
