LOOK WHO’S DUNKIN’
NETS 113 WIZARDS 106
Blake Griffin was just trying to stay locked in, but the Cheshire Cat grin across his face postgame proved he’s not too cool for school.
In his first game since signing as a free agent with the Nets, Griffin blew by Wizards big man Robin Lopez down the middle of the lane and threw down a two-handed stuff that got both the Nets bench and Barclays Center fans off their feet.
It was his first dunk since Dec. 2019, a moment some questioned possible after back-toback surgeries on the same knee. Others awaited with anticipation — an anticipation that bubbled into uproar as Griffin soared through the air for the finish on Sunday night.
“Obviously limited (capacity) but our crowd has been great,” Griffin said of the response to his dunk. “The best part about great crowds is when there’s a moment in the game and fans are knowledgeable, they know what’s going on.”
The fans weren’t the only ones who knew what was going on: “I knew once it happened it was going to be a thing,” Griffin said. “And so I tried not to look at the bench when I was coming back down. But then I kind of peeked over and I saw the DeAndre (Jordan) all the way out on the side, and I saw buddy standing up. So it’s hard not to smile in that situation.”
The dunk was his only basket of the day, but it signaled to the basketball world just how much better the Nets stand to improve by adding a fully healthy Griffin to an already star-studded roster. He scored only two points, but was a plus-12 in 15 minutes as the Nets ran away with a 113-106 victory, their 15th win in 17 games.
“It was great, man, just to be back out there and sort of get a get a bit of a rhythm going was a great,” said Griffin, who played his first game since Feb. 12. “It’s tough to recreate actual game atmosphere. So to get out there felt good ... got some room to improve obviously.”
Griffin scored only once, but found other ways to make an impact. On his first possession, he recorded a screen assist with an off-ball screen to free Tyler Johnson for an open corner three. On the next possession, he guarded Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal and finished with a block on the play. Shortly after, Griffin recorded a hockey assist out of the high post, finding a teammate who then found the open cutter. “First game, he looked comfortable. We tried to get him shots and tried to get him involved,” said James Harden. “Blake is going to be very key for us just because he’s versatile, he creates mismatch problems and he’s a very good passer. Once we find sets that can incorporate him and that he can look for consistently and he can be
Griffin helps slam Wizards in Net debut
prepared for, then, we’ll be that much better. But I think for his first game just learning on the fly without really any practice time, he did a good job.”
Nets coach Steve Nash said there would be a minutes restriction on Griffin, and that limit was ostensibly the 15-minute mark.
“I think we want to take it slow. I don’t want to overburden him. I want to make sure he can slowly improve throughout the rest of the season,” said Nash. “I don’t have anything set in stone, but I think we want to be cautious and make sure he doesn’t have any setbacks.”
Griffin looked like he had more in the tank, but the Nets opted to take the proper precautions. “I think I can play more than 15 for sure,” he said. “I think we’re just being very smart about it when there’s no need to come in and play 30 right away. I thought our performance staff has done a great job so far.”
Griffin looked good in his 15 minutes, but it takes a full 48 to win a game.
The Nets found themselves in a 20-6 first-quarter hole, but ended the period down just five. They orchestrated a 24-point swing to take a 10-point lead in the second quarter and force the Wizards into three timeouts in the first half. Kyrie Irving and James Harden each posted suboptimal shooting nights, but combined for 54 points, and second-year forward Nic Claxton continues his upward swing.
Claxton came off the bench and played 26 minutes, closing the game in the fourth quarter with both Griffin and Jordan on the bench. He finished with 16 points, three rebounds and three blocks, including one on Beal, and shot 7-of-10 from the field.
“Activity. He’s long and athletic. He can guard multiple positions and he’s active,” Nash said of Claxton. “He works hard and plays hard.”