The Nets haven’t performed well on the end of back-to-backs and that trend continued as they went down to the Dallas Mavericks, 119-113. It was neck and neck down the stretch as Brooklyn tied it up early in the fourth, but they couldn’t gain the ascendancy as their record goes to 8-11 heading into Thanksgiving. Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Allen Crabbe is Back
From the moment Crabbe hit his first two threes you could tell he was going to have a big one. He finished the night with 27 points, including 7/11 from three, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and a block.
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Allen Crabbe had it going tonight for the @BrooklynNets from deep, knocking down 7 triples! He had 27 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL & 1 BLK for a team-high 39.1 #NBAFantasy points! pic.twitter.com/SPDELqQTi3
— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) November 22, 2018
Coach Kenny was certainly pleased with his showing and was left wanting more, per Newsday.
“Oh man, huge. You could feel it coming these past couple of games. Even though he didn’t make every shot tonight, his game was fantastic. I still think he hesitated too much. We need him to shoot five more times a game. Hopefully, he’s woken up and in his groove.”
Going forward if Crabbe can maintain his form from the arc, and Joe Harris gets back to his best, the Nets have two bonafide weapons on the perimeter. Their ability to make threes at a high level should add a new dimension to the Nets heavy perimeter-oriented offense.
Ed Davis Can Rebound
With Jarrett Allen in early foul trouble, Ed Davis saw some court time earlier than he normally does. Boy, did he make an impact when he was inserted.
Did you know @eddavisXVII is good at offensive rebounding? pic.twitter.com/oKmdzyG7zl
— Jac Manuell (@TheJManJBT) November 22, 2018
Davis’ elite offensive rebounding has 2nd best in the league for offensive rebounding percentage, behind only Pistons big man, Andre Drummond. Davis finished the night against the Mavs perfect from the field, 8/8 for 17 points with 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal to go with it.
The former Portland center also leads the Nets in offensive (131) and defensive (106) rating. He’s so integral to Brooklyn’s playoff aspirations and if he can continue to put up performances like he did against Dallas then the team will have every chance of reaching the postseason.
Spencer Was Sizzling
Alongside Ed Davis, Spencer Dinwiddie was by far the Nets best player on the night. He put up another double-digit performance, 19 points, to go with 7 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal. In the team’s 19 games so far, only once has he scored less than 10 points.
When the Nets needed a jolt they turned to Dinwiddie who was super efficient 5/11 from the field while also contributing 8/10 from the free throw line. The only sticking point was the fact he was 1/5 from the arc, but the team overall from there was subpar (14/42, 33.3%).
His chemistry with fellow backcourt leader, D’Angelo Russell is only getting better. With LeVert out for an extended period, the Nets will be looking for the two to gel even more as the season progresses. Both have a huge say in not only the team’s success but their own individually to go with it.
It seems that Spencer has bought into his role off the bench as well which is paying dividends for him, the fans and the team in general.
Kenny Atkinson said Spencer Dinwiddie’s second-half slump last year was directly related to not accepting his role when D’Angelo Russell came back. But now he’s 100% bought-in. #Nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) November 22, 2018