The Brooklyn Nets acquired their third win of the season as the defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-110. This is the Nets’ third home win of the season. Brooklyn now sits at 3-4 while the Wolves are 1-5.
Andrew Wiggins led all scorers with a 36 point outing with a lot of his damage done behind the arc. Wiggins went 6/7 from long range and 13/29 overall. Brook Lopez led the Nets in scoring with 26 points on 10/16 shooting and 3/7 from three.
Brook Lopez has developed his long range jumper quite nicely this season and he has become a legitimate threat to shoot the ball from range. Having a big man that can stretch the floor like Lopez has been of late is key for winning games. It opens up the floor down low allowing for more slashing to the basket.
Brooklyn, yet again, shot more than 30 three-point shots. Brooklyn went 12/33 from range tonight overall. The difference maker in this game was points in the paint. Brooklyn surprisingly won this battle tonight, outscoring the Wolves 54-42 down low.
One of the larger issues for Brooklyn has been Brook Lopez’s rebounding. For a seven footer he really cannot rebound. Lopez only brought down three boards tonight. Trevor Booker was the leading rebounder for Brooklyn with nine on the night.
Randy Foye made his return / debut for Brooklyn tonight. Foye only played 14 minutes and scored only three points. Having him back in Jeremy Lin‘s absence is essential as Brooklyn’s point guard depth is shallow with Vasquez also out.
Brooklyn’s bench was a shining star yet again. Sean Kilpatrick scored 14 and Joe Harris scored 11. Justin Hamilton and Luis Scola scored nine points a piece as well. Brooklyn’s bench has been amazing this year and is a large reason why they have been competitive and winning.
I keep saying it, #BrooklynGrit is ringing true this year. This team is getting down and dirty and fighting every minute of every game. Through seven games, all against worthy foes, and having only one blowout loss is something not many people saw coming. If this team can keep this grit up all year, they will be much more successful than anyone ever thought.
Grading the Players
I will give out a good amount of A’s tonight. Brook Lopez gets an A for his high powered scoring, which, I guess, cancels out the lack of boards. Trevor Booker almost had another double-double. He ended with 15 points and nine rebounds along with three steals and a block. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is deserving of an A as he scored 13 points on 3/4 shooting and 6/6 from the charity stripe. RHJ has found his ni
che and should continue to drive to the basket and draw fouls. Lastly, Sean Kilpatrick gets an A coming off of the bench with his 14 points on 4/6 shooting and 6/6 from the free-throw line. His large amount of turnovers are not too good, but he did grab some boards tonight, tallying five on the night.
Isaiah Whitehead, Joe Harris, and Justin Hamilton get B’s on the night. Whitehead did not score many points, but his seven assists are exactly what this team needs. In Lin’s absence there needs to be someone that can control the floor and get the ball to the scorers. Joe Harris scored in double digits as well. The main reason for his B is his 1/5 performance from long range. He is one of the Nets that can shoot from range so making only 20% of your shots on the night is not what the team really wants from him. Hamilton scored nine points on 3/4 shooting, all from three-point range. Grabbing six boards also helped his cause. Hamilton needs to play like this more often.
It is a relief to not have to give out any grades lower than a B on the night. This team really played well tonight and fans should look for their good performances to continue. They could beat the Knicks tomorrow night and they could even steal a game on their upcoming west coast swing.
Brooklyn heads down the A train to Madison Square Garden to face off with their inner city rivals in the Knicks tomorrow night. The Wolves go to sunny Florida to face off with the Magic tomorrow night as well.