In a racing game, Brooklyn withstood a late San Antonio run for victory. The Spurs were bolstered by the solid efforts of Derrick White (22 points, 4 assists), Jakob Poeltl (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Lonnie Walker IV (14 points). Caris LeVert led a balanced effort by the Nets with 27 points and three rebounds, while Rodions Kurucs contributed 19 points and four rebounds.
Observations
- This is what we imagined an NBA 2k practice game would look like in real life, right?
- Derrick White, Lonnie Walker IV and Dejounte Murray’s initial troika happened again!
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Jakob Poeltl impressively completed a series of moves for Nets center Jarrett Allen, which was required with a ballet layin. Later, Poeltl entered the trap lane to search for a sweet float in the opening stanza.
- Walker IV seems to get into the basket in countless ways with ease, and even when he misses the shot, he releases an opportunity for a rebound or tip in the grand finale.
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Rudy Gay honorably represented the mid-range brigade with mixed results. With visibly tired legs, Gay also lost two balls out of bounds on the backcourt in the second half.
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The first two brands of Marco Belinelli? Both in clumsy slopes. Never change, MB.
- White continued his impressive pick-and-roll execution, tying up his defender for a 3-point play in traffic. White converted more importantly four three, both in the catch and in the pull-up variety.
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Keldon Johnson earned significant playing time and eliminated an attempt by the Nets in the lane to start a quick break in the first quarter. Later in the game, he converted a baseline change of direction bench hit and a couple of tricky 3-point plays out of balance.
- Network analyst Ian Eagle referred to an Allen dump as “Fro Flush”. Eagle also poetically narrated a basket from the Spurs as a “Rudy Gay pendant J”.
- LeVert’s continued growth (along with Spencer Dinwiddie) could be unfairly affected by the expected returns of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving next season.
- Game sequence: Early in the third quarter, White cleanly stripped Allen as he gathered for a dump on the rim, which turned into a transitioning Walker IV knife tray, and concluded with White’s indictment.
- Brooklyn put pressure on the Spurs’ ball handlers, beating the Spurs 11-2 in the first three minutes. White and Poeltl combined to bring San Antonio back. Brooklyn used the shots from Tyler Johnson and Rodions Kurucs to close the room to three of the Spurs.
- At the start of the second period, Kurucs shot double-digit marks from across the court, while Murray found success in his impulses. White also continued his forays to the edge and scored 18 points midway through the quarter. Brooklyn took and made more triples than their counterparts and forced multiple turnovers to gain momentum. The teams finished an entertaining half-tie at 57.
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DeMar DeRozan started things in the third quarter with a driving layup, while Brooklyn went to the pick-and-roll often with LeVert and Allen to go ahead. The ancient Temple of Spur Garrett was remotely connected to help the Nets climb ten. At one point in the period, and despite being a designated ‘home’ game for the Spurs, the Nets’ logo and lettering were practically etched on the court while the surrounding screens had Spurs signage. The Nets exited the period until 96-88.
- A reserve lineup of Drew Eubanks, Gay, Johnson, Bryn Forbes and Belinelli tied the game at 101. Eubanks, in particular, was a force to be reckoned with on the offensive boards and rejected four shots on the edge. Gay briefly raised the Spurs by two with free throws, while Chimezie Metu and Luka Samanic received the “decisive time” action. A Forbes jumper briefly climbed San Antonio by four. The Nets bench performed better in the half court, while San Antonio’s possessions were increasingly difficult to regain a six-point lead. With Forbes and Belinelli being the only scoring threats, Brooklyn was able to get enough stops to claim the scrimmage.
- Former Spurs, Sean Marks and Jacque Vaughn, Brooklyn General Manager and Interim Head Coach respectively, are arguably the first branches of the Pop Coaches tree in both positions with an organization at the same time.
For the Nets fan’s perspective, head over to Daily networks.
the Spurs have the last of your three scrimmages scheduled against Malcolm Brogdon and the Indiana Pacers Tuesday, July 28 at 2:00 p.m. CT. The Pacers are absent Domantas Sabonis, who suffered a foot injury yesterday.
