It’s only the preseason, but heading into Monday night, the Brooklyn Nets have given fans plenty to be encouraged by.
They opened with a dominant 124-90 win over the Charlotte Hornets before taking down a star-studded Philadelphia 76ers team, 114-108, on Thursday.
On Monday, the Nets traveled to Washington for their third preseason contest, taking on the Wizards and looking to build on their strong start. They did just that, leaving with a 131-122 win to improve to 3-0 in exhibition play.
With Day’Ron
Sharpe and Michael Porter Jr. returning after missing Thursday due to injuries, the Nets’ starting five included Egor Dëmin, Keon Ellis, Porter Jr., Julius Randle, and Day’Ron Sharpe.
Here are a few takeaways from Monday’s victory.
3:58, 1Q – Brooklyn Nets 26, Washington Wizards 18
- MPJ is picking up right where he left off. In his return to the lineup after missing Thursday with left wrist soreness, Porter has 13 points on five-of-six shooting (83.3%) while knocking down two of his three attempts from deep (66.7%) in just seven minutes.
- Randle continues to impress as a facilitator early on. Across his first eight minutes, Randle tallied seven points, four assists, and zero turnovers. His ability to create opportunities for his teammates will be very important this season.
- The Nets’ frontcourt clicked early on. MPJ, Randle, and Sharpe combined for 23 of the Nets’ first 26 points. Sharpe even knocked down a three on Brooklyn’s first possession, which is encouraging for his offensive versatility as he enters a crucial season.
0:00, 1Q – Brooklyn Nets 35, Washington Wizards 33
- Brooklyn’s offense found success early. The Nets shot 60.9% from the field in the first quarter (14-of-23), and 45.5% from three (5-of-11).
- The Nets have also done a nice job of attacking inside, scoring 14 points in the paint compared to Washington’s eight. Generating points around the basket will be very important for the Nets this year, especially to complement their strong perimeter shooting.
- One area where Brooklyn got outmatched early on was on the glass, particularly on the offensive end. Washington grabbed five offensive boards compared to the Nets’ one. Especially with Sharpe on the court, one of the NBA’s most efficient offensive rebounders, it was an odd sight.
4:36, 2Q – Brooklyn Nets 57, Washington Wizards 52
- Nolan Traoré provided quite the spark off the bench, scoring 13 points on five-of-seven shooting (71.4%), including two threes, in just 10 minutes. He continues to make a case for a strong role in Fernández’s rotation, most likely as the squad’s backup point guard.
- Randle continued to impress as a playmaker, dishing out seven assists in only 11 minutes.
- Ellis continued his efficient offense this preseason, scoring seven points while drilling both of his three-point attempts in 11 minutes.
0:00, 2Q – Brooklyn Nets 73, Washington Wizards 72
- Entering halftime, defense certainly hasn’t been the story. Brooklyn and Washington combined for 145 points in the half, with both teams shooting 50% from deep.
- The Nets’ interior defense, one of their biggest question marks this season, didn’t have the most inspiring first half.
7:35, 3Q – Brooklyn Nets 78, Washington Wizards 82
- Brooklyn’s offense has cooled off coming out of halftime. After posting 73 first-half points, the Nets scored just five in the first 4:25 in the third quarter, allowing Washington to take a four-point lead.
- Dëmin has had a rough offensive outing, scoring just two points on one-of-six shooting (16.7%) while missing all four of his three-point tries in 19 minutes. His willingness to attack the basket on Thursday stood out, but tonight he has struggled with efficiency.
- Beyond his strong shooting, Porter has already made his presence felt on defense, recording two steals and a block in 20 minutes.
End of game – Brooklyn Nets 131, Washington Wizards 122
- Three games, three wins. Sure, it’s only the preseason, but there’s plenty to like about what Brooklyn has shown so far. The Nets shot 56.8% from the field, knocked down 17 threes, and scored 50 points in the paint. Overall, the offense looked quite encouraging.
- Noah Clowney deserves some love for his performance. After a relatively quiet first half, the 22-year-old finished with 15 points on five-of-eight shooting (62.5%), including four-of-six from three (66.7%). When Clowney gets going from the perimeter, he is a valuable piece. Finding that consistency, though, has been his struggle. This is his second straight solid preseason outing, though.
- Shout out to Grant Nelson. The seven-footer has played well in limited minutes, tonight scoring nine points in the fourth quarter. In the 8:51, the 24-year-old two-way also grabbed four boards, three offensive and shot 4-of-5, including 1-of-2 from deep.
- One concern worth mentioning is the turnovers. Brooklyn gave the ball away 18 times, including 10 in the second half. That could come with having a young team, but taking better care of the basketball will be crucial once the regular season rolls around.
Next Up
The Nets will wrap up their four-game preseason slate Wednesday night, traveling to Miami to face the Miami Heat. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, it is also expected to be the debut of No. 6 overall pick Mikel Brown Jr., who missed the team’s first three preseason games due to an ankle roll. He’s been working his way back and fully practiced over the weekend, while getting some run in 5-vs-5s Monday morning.
- Boxscore: Brooklyn Nets 131, Washington Wizards 119 – NBA.com
- Game Highlights: Brooklyn Nets 131, Washington Wizards 119(Video) – NBA.com
