The Brooklyn Nets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 108-102 on January 6. However, Brooklyn’s usual suspects struggled. The Nets’ dynamic duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant shot a combined 16/48 from the field, and the role players also had a cold night. The Nets only had three players score in double-digits, Durant, Irving, and TJ Warren, who had 15 points off the bench.
After the win, Durant warned his teammates that there will be other off-shooting nights like the one they had against the Pelicans. The important thing will be how they weather the storm.
“It’s gonna come a time when shots don’t fall like tonight. I thought we got good looks all night, especially me. I liked how we kept grinding regardless,” Durant told reporters after the win.
“You still gotta go out there and lock in on the defensive side of the ball and I think we did a good job with that. Those are the type of games you want to play just to learn your team and figure out your team even more. You’re a whole totally different team when your shots aren’t going in, so it was a good test for us.”
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Kevin Durant Climbs NBA MVP Ladder
Despite a lackluster performance from Durant in their narrow win over New Orleans, he has been one of the best players in the NBA this season. Per Stat Muse, the Nets star is averaging 30.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists through 38 games this season.
But it is not just his numbers. Durant is also scoring the ball at an extremely efficient clip. He is shooting a scorching 56% from the field, 37.6% from beyond the arc, and 93.5% from the free throw line. He is on track to join Larry Bird and Steve Nash as the only players to achieve a 50/40/90 season more than once.
Even more impressive is that Durant is doing all of this amid a Nets season filled with turmoil. Ex-Nets head coach Steve Nash got fired after eight games. And after rumblings that suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka could be taking his place, the Nets promoted interim head coach Jacque Vaughan into a permanent role. Speaking of suspensions, his co-star, Kyrie Irving, was suspended by the franchise for eight games after sharing the link to an anti-Semitic film earlier this season.
Durant being able the navigate through all of Brooklyn’s drama and leading the Nets to third place in the Eastern Conference standings has made him a top MVP candidate. He has propelled himself to third place in the latest rankings.
Kevin Durant Chimes in on Teams That Tank
Most teams come into the season with the hopes of competing for an NBA title, but unfortunately, that isn’t the reality for a lot of teams. And the teams who realize early that they won’t be competing for a title, often resort to tanking games.
Tanking is frowned upon by some, as it is seen as taking an easy way out, or even worse, making the NBA product unwatchable at times. But Durant says he isn’t bothered by teams that tank.
“Nah, teams have been tanking for a minute. What, you’re going to force them to be competitive? I don’t see a problem with it, because each year there’s only a few teams that can win it anyway. So, the rest of the league is trying to figure out where they are. And that’s pretty smart business if you’re a team and you know you’re not going to be a playoff team or play-in team, you might as well try to play for [the No. 1 pick],” Durant said to ESPN’s Nick Friedell.
“You might as well try to get some of the guys who probably won’t get real rotation minutes if you have a good team, get them some reps, and maybe those guys can change their lives as well.”
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Kevin Durant Drops Truth Bomb on Nets Teammates