Celtics

Nets thrashed by cross-town rival Knicks

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D-

Final: 12/26/2019

L 82 – 94

The Brooklyn Nets ended their holiday vacation Thursday night by hosting the New York Knicks at Barclays Center. It was the largest break in their schedule this season, not counting the All-Star week. Instead of looking rested and energized, they were sloppy and flat as the Knicks gave them a 94-82 thrashing.

This game was pulled from TNT mostly due to how the Knicks have struggled this season, but the Nets were the ones who hardly showed up. From the opening tip, they failed to hit their open shots and were never able to claw their way back.

The Knicks shot better from every spot on the floor, outrebounded and took better care of the ball with fewer turnovers. It is hard to find a single positive from the game, as Brooklyn was beaten in nearly every category — and the Knicks have not had the greatest season, either.

One positive is that the offense did look fairly cohesive early on, with crisp passes leading to open shots. Sometimes the shots were even made.

But as the Nets started to connect less frequently, that smooth sharing of the ball started to collapse.

While this was one of the most pathetic showings for the team so far this season, Brooklyn can still bounce back on Saturday against the Houston Rockets. But if this becomes a trend, or even the new normal, things will get dark in the borough quickly.

With Kevin Durant still not expected to play this season and Kyrie Irving awith no official timetable on his return, Caris LeVert seems the closest to hitting the court again. In the meantime, the roster will have to stabilize itself without some of its most talented players. One game does not define a team — but it could be the start of something worse.

Spencer Dinwiddie

A-

The stats: 25 PTS, 5-15 FG, 3-9 3PT, 12-17 FT, 8 REB, 3 AST, STL, BLK, 5 TO, 32 MIN

Spencer Dinwiddie was the only player on the team to score in double digits until the final thirty seconds of the game.

Yeah, it was *THAT* bad. Dinwiddie may not have been as efficient as possible, but what more can you expect of a man when his teammates shoot a combined 25 percent from the floor. He was easily the best Brooklyn player on the court.

Garrett Temple

D-

The stats: 3 PTS, 1-10 FG, 1-10 3PT, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 28 MIN

Garrett Temple had a rough night, to say the least.

When you take 10 shots, all from behind the three-point line, and hit on 10 percent of them, your team will have a rough time.

TimothΓ© Luwawu-Cabarrot

B-

The stats: 10 PTS, 2-3 FG, 2-3 3PT, 4-4, 2 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 20 MIN

It is never a good sign when the player offering the most help to Dinwiddie has only been in the rotation for under two weeks.

Luwawu-Cabarrot was the second-best player for the Nets. While he is undeniably a skilled player, he cannot be one of the only players to step up for the team. 

About the Author

Logan Gilchrist

Logan Gilchrist is a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln pursuing degrees in both political science and sports media & communication.

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