The Brooklyn Nets started off 2017 right where they left off 2016. With a loss. Brooklyn lost to the Utah Jazz 101-89 to start off the 2017 calendar year. Brooklyn was leading at the end of the first two quarters and kept it tied after the third quarter. It was the fourth quarter that allowed the Jazz to eventually pull away form Brooklyn and capture the victory.
The leading scorer in this game was Utah guard Gordon Hayward. Hayward came home with 30 points on 9-18 shooting, 3-4 from three, and 9-9 from the free-throw line. For Brooklyn, Trevor Booker led all scorers with 17 points on 6-14 shooting against his former team.
Trevor Booker also added in a team high 15 rebounds and even blocked a shot. Joe Johnson also made an appearance against a former team tonight. Johnson finds his way back to Brooklyn after being bought out last season when Sean Marks took the helm last season. Johnson only scored seven points on the night but did hit a clutch three for Utah off of an offensive rebound.
This was an off-night offensively for both teams, except Gordon Hayward and Trevor Booker. Brooklyn scored a only 89 points and the Jazz only scored 101. Yes, 101 points is on the lower end of the spectrum nowadays in the NBA. The main reasoning behind me saying an off-night was field goal percentage. Brooklyn only shot 42.3% but Utah was even worse at 41.9% from the field.
On a night where George Hill did not play, Brooklyn squandered yet another opportunity to get another win from another team. Things just do not seem to want to go Brooklyn’s way after half time.
Grading the Players
Trevor Booker gets an A on the night. Booker, against his former team, brought down another double-double; Booker only had a total of four last season in 79 games with the Jazz. He had 17 points and 15 rebounds to go along with two assists and a blocked shot on the night. It was clear that Booker was the energy all night long, but, unfortunately, it was not enough for long enough.
Brook Lopez and Isaiah Whitehead get B’s. Brook Lopez only scored 14 points on 6-16 shooting including 1-6 from range. Lopez also only made one trip to the free-throw line on the night where he went 1-2 late in the game. Lopez also brought down 6 rebounds and two steals and two blocks. Brook said after the game he was disappointed in his performance and wishes he could have done more to help Brooklyn win. Brooklyn needed more.
Isaiah Whitehead had himself a solid game. Whitehead scored 12 points on 4-11 shooting with six rebounds but only one assist. The highlight of the night, though, was Whitehead’s only block on the night. It was not just any block, though. Isiah Whitehead blocked Rudy Gobert‘s shot which rocked Nets’ Twitter world.
That’s 6ft4 Isaiah Whitehead blocking the 7ft1 Rudy Gobert https://t.co/S6cS9Ofhdb
— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) January 3, 2017
Sean Kilpatrick gets a C- on the night. Skilpatrick had one of his off nights scoring only eight points. Kilpatrick got his eight points off of 2-7 shooting including only 1-3 from deep. Skil also had four rebounds and an assist on the night. Kilpatrick is averaging more than 15 points per game this season. Eight points will not cut it for Kilpatrick if Brooklyn wants to win games.
Despite off-nights scoring-wise from both Brook Lopez and Sean Kilpatrick, the Brooklyn Nets had a real chance to steal one from a really good Jazz team. Alas, Brooklyn could not pull it off. The Nets now fall to 8-25 on the season and will have another two days off before taking on the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. The Jazz, on a four-game winning streak, will trek up Interstate 84 to Boston to take on the Celtics on Tuesday night.