On by lineup change
does little more than catchand-shoot threes and defend his position, paid dividends.
“He gives you spacing,” Atkinson said of Chandler. “He’s a stretch four in this league, he knows how to play that position, knows this system perfectly, but I did like his adding some more physicality to the first unit.
The Spurs were without several key players: former All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge (shoulder), starting center Jakob Poeltl (MCL sprain) and sharpshooter Marco Belinelli (illness). The energy the Nets lacked in their embarrassing loss to the Grizzlies was present for their shellacking of San Antonio.
The Nets pounded the Spurs on the glass and pelted their opponent from three. Their 33-point lead was sliced down to as little as 15, but Brooklyn seized control once again to pull away down the stretch.
Caris LeVert was electric. He whipped assists across the court, crashed the boards and lit into the Spurs for his first career triple-double: 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on the night. Spencer Dinwiddie also turned in 19 points and nine assists.
Brooklyn is as tough a team as anyone in the league when both of their play-makers are cooking at the same time. The Nets are also tough to beat when their shoot threes first, ask questions later philosophy bears fruit: Brooklyn responded from a 17% three-point shooting night against the Grizzlies by shooting 15-of-36 (41%) against the Spurs.
Eight different Nets players scored in double figures with Timothe LuwawuCabarrot leading the second unit with 19 points on threeof-five shooting from downtown. Prince, in his first game off the bench, shot 5of-14 and missed all four of his three-point attempts, but he led the second unit with a plus-minus of +12.
“Do I want to come off the bench? Completely not,” Prince said. “But do I want to do whatever it takes to help this team get to where we ultimately want to go? Any day of the week.”
The win couldn’t have come at a better time: It gave Brooklyn a much-needed jolt of energy with one more home game remaining against the Bulls before a four-game West Coast road trip featuring games against the Lakers, Warriors, Clippers and Kings.