Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Jazzes Up The Place

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

JAZZ     96

NETS   130

FINAL

After two straight losses against the Hawks and Wizards, Flatbush gets back in the win column with Tuesday's commanding victory over the visiting Utah Jazz.  

The Nets led by eleven after the first quarter and took a nineteen point lead into the break.  Kyrie Irving, who last year played in only twenty games, took charge of this game with haste, scoring 22 of his team-high 29 points in the first half.  He was 12/19 (63%) from the field for the game, including 5/7 from the arc and no trips to the line.  Overall, the Brooks did a much better job of ball distribution (31-17) and outrebounded the Jazz by a 43-32 margin.  In the end, Flatbush came away with an overwhelming 34-point margin of victory, all minus the services of Kevin Durant, who is quarantining per COVID protocol. 

In the absence of both Durant and Spencer Dinwiddie, Coach Nash's starting five took on quite a different look.  Jeff Green, Taurean Prince, and Bruce Brown all started for the Nets.  Playing in only his fourth game and making his first start as a Nets member, newcomer Bruce Brown scored six points with five assists and six rebounds in 23 minutes.  The Taurean Prince doldrums continue; he mustered eight points, two assists, and no rebounds while playing a season-high twenty minutes.

Jarrett Allan also made his first start of the season (and it's about time).  His new role coming off the bench is a contention point for some fans (me).  However, he is getting more minutes than DeAndre Jordan, and more importantly, is finishing games.  After receiving a season-high 32 minutes, Allan rewarded his coach with 19 points, a game-high 18 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.  The game marks the first time Allan has breached thirty minutes this season.  

Meanwhile, ask, and ye shall receive!  It was after the second Hawks game when I said:

"Lastly, if you're going to let DeAndre Jordan start over Jarrett Allen, who is getting more minutes and finishing games, then encourage Jordan to throw around his body more."

DeAndre Jordan against the Jazz was limited to a season-low nine minutes.  In fact, it's the first time this season Jordan has been held under fifteen minutes.  Perhaps that's because he drew five personal fouls!  I like it, and I want more of it.

On a night Caris LeVert appeared likely to start, Coach Nash kept him on the bench.  Yet, he and Kyrie Irving were the only two Nets with double-digit shot attempts.  LeVert scored 24 points with five assists in just 21 minutes.  Joe Harris scored ten points in 23 minutes also off the bench.  

The night's true beneficiary was Tyler Johnson, who played more minutes on Tuesday than he had in three previous appearances.  Entering the game, having grossed only twelve minutes of floor time, Coach Nash directed eighteen minutes his way, in which Johnson scored six points and distributed a game-high seven assists.

NEXT: Philly comes to Brooklyn.  This will be a test case in Coach Nash's in-game adjustments, as if to say going off-script.  Memphis and Atlanta, in their contests against the Nets, completely painted their interior wall to wall.  We all know Philly means physicality.  How will the Nets handle this coming off last season's playoff experience against the Sixers and this season's two recent instances wherein teams trampled through Brooklyn's inner turf?