Nets beat Kings for seventh straight win, giving fans at Barclays Center something to cheer about
The streak has extended to seven.
In their first game of the season with fans at Barclays Center, and on the same day James Harden was announced an All-Star reserve, the Nets did not disappoint.
Instead, they electrified, scoring 42 points in the first quarter on their way to a 127-118 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. It was their second victory over the Kings during the winning streak.
With fans in the arena, players moved the ball, made shots, smiled and giggled through a first quarter in which the Nets virtually could not miss. But it did not come without drama.
The Nets led by as many as 14 but the defense faltered, allowing the Kings to score 38 in the second quarter and 30 in the third. Sacramento took its first lead of the game with 14 minutes to go in the third period.
But the Kings had no answer for the Nets in the fourth quarter. Harden recorded his sixth triple-double as a Net, finishing with 29 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds. Bruce Brown scored a career-high 29 points on 11-of-13 shooting, proving you don’t need to shoot threes to be effective in this league (even though he hit two-of-three on the night). Joe Harris hit five threes, and DeAndre Jordan recorded five blocks.
The Kings, like most teams, didn’t have the firepower to keep up with the Nets, nor the defensive fortitude to slow down a team with so many weapons. The scariest part: Brooklyn’s best weapon watched from the sidelines, with Kevin Durant out recovering from a hamstring strain.
The brightest spot for the Kings was rookie Tyrese Haliburton, now a darling of the 2020 NBA Draft class. Haliburton scored 23 off the bench and has been the Kings’ best decision since drafting De’Aaron Fox in 2017.
Nets second round pick Nic Claxton made his NBA debut against the Kings, checking in during the first quarter. Claxton played meaningful minutes and finished with five points and a block in 14 minutes, but is still considered a developmental player, still needs to fill out his frame and work on his three-point shot.
Nets wings Iman Shumpert and Andre Roberson also played minutes against the Kings. Shumpert only played six minutes, while Roberson played 17. The Nets have to make a roster decision on one of their players soon, and it is believed one of Roberson, Shumpert or forward Noah Vonleh will be waived in the coming days.
For now, the Nets enjoy a seventh straight win and a day off before trying to extend the streak against the Magic on Thursday.
