Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Earns First Home Victory

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

YEAR TEN

MONDAY

Wizards  90

NETS    104

FINAL

No Wizardry In Victory Over Washington

Flatbush evened their record at home with a victory over the Washington Wizards.  

Unlike their previous games, the Nets got off to a hot start, outscoring the Wizards 38-20 in the first quarter.  But while the outcome was never in doubt, this game did more to cover up some underlying defects than bolster my perception and expectations.

After the first quarter, the rest of the game is a matter of interpretation.  Brooklyn was outscored 70-66 over the final three quarters en route to a 14-point margin of victory.

Washington became Brooklyn's fourth straight opponent to exceed 90 shots, whereas Monday's game marked only the first time the Nets eclipsed 90+ shot attempts in a game.  However, their aiming registered a season-low 42.6% from the field.  In fact, the Nets are shooting just 44.2% through their first four games.

Once again, Kevin Durant led the floor with 25 points in a game-high 35 minutes after scoring 38 points in 36 minutes on Sunday.  His minutes in the upcoming game against Miami will be a curious matter.

James Harden is still clearly out of sorts.  He was 5/17 (29.4%) from the field and a mere 1/7 from beyond the arc, with only three free throw attempts.  However, he led the floor with nine assists while old friend Spencer Dinwiddie led the Wizards with six.

The next tier of starting players remains the team's unknown variable.  

Bruce Brown hardly played in the first two games of the season, but we knew he would not sit long.  After just four minutes against Milwaukee and sitting out at Philly, Brown played 27 minutes off the bench against Charlotte, then started Monday against Washington, finishing with 14 points in 30 minutes.

This was Coach Nash's third different lineup in four games.  Kept out of Sunday's game, Blake Griffin was a cold 1/7 from the field but secured a team-high nine rebounds in 19 minutes.  Joe Harris finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.  However, he was 3/11 from beyond the arc and 3/12 (25%) overall - 19.2% below the team's present field goal percentage.

Patty Mills led the bench effort with 21 points in 23 minutes.  It's his second 20+ point effort and his third game in double-digit scoring.  

After starting three straight games, Nicolas Claxton contributed six points and eight rebounds with a team-high +21 in 16 minutes off the bench.