IT’S PAYBACK TIME FOR NETS
Dinwiddie steps up again as B’klyn beats Celtics in rematch
The Celtics outlasted the Nets in the first matchup between these two teams on Wednesday, as Kemba Walker ran up 39 points in their win in Boston. The Nets responded with a 112-107 win at Barclays Center on Friday.
“It felt good,” Jarrett Allen said of getting payback on the Celtics’ 36 hours after their last meeting. “They came at us hard the other day, so we decided to turn that around and go at them.”
Key to victory No. 1: Slowing down Walker, who only finished with 17 points on 6of-19 shooting.
“We did make some adjustments with Kemba,” said Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, who likened two straight games against the Celtics to playoff-like scouting. “I wouldn’t say they were radical, but they were pretty significant.”
Instead of the Walker show, it was Dinwiddie time.
Spencer Dinwiddie demonstrated full command of a Nets’ offense players didn’t fully grasp earlier this season, and his teammates rallied around him. Dinwiddie finished with 32 points, 11 assists, two steals and two blocks on the afternoon. Several of his assists came as lobs to Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan.
Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said the stretch of the past eight games without Irving has given Dinwiddie a confidence boost.
“I always felt like that with Spence,” he said post-game. “He didn’t know good he was. As talented as he is, I think his confidence has just grown.”
“Spencer, he can do that whenever he wants to,” Allen said of Dinwiddie’s performance. “He’s super talented, super skilled, super athletic. I think this could be a normal night for him moving forward.”
This is an area of growth for the Nets’ point guard who struggled to convert on those lob pass attempts earlier into the season
Every other Nets starter finished in double figures, as well, including Jarrett Allen, who added another double double to his season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, including four offensive boards on the night. Allen came through with a shot clockbeating dunk in the final minute of the fourth quarter that made Kevin Durant — out recovering from a torn Achilles — get out of his seat and celebrate.
Friday’s response was the polar opposite of the way things unfolded in Boston.
On the Boston parquet, the Celtics looked like the better team through and through. The Nets made several attempts to rally back, including several three-point barrages on Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough, and they lost, 121-110.
The Nets bounced back on Friday, scorching Earth from three early on. The Nets made 17 threes and shot 42% from distance at Barclays Center. Call it home-court advantage if you like. This team is tough to beat when it’s making its shots.
The Nets are back at .500 with a 9-9 record, and it’s unclear how long they’ll be without their stars. Kyrie Irving is out with a shoulder injury and there is no timetable for his return. Caris LeVert is also out after undergoing thumb surgery, and Wilson Chandler hasn’t played a regular season game yet after a 25game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use.
“It speaks a lot of volume,” says Allen. “We’re playing together, and once they come back, we’re still gonna play good. We’re gonna be able to integrate them, get them back into our system, and keep going forward.”
Atkinson says Irving has started on core work and will be out for the team’s next game against the Miami Heat on Sunday. Atkinson also said Irving has advanced to shooting, a welcome sight for a player dealing with a shoulder impingement in his right arm.
That doesn’t include Kevin Durant, “The Monster,” as Dinwiddie says, who is out presumably for the season with his Achilles injury.
This Nets team, however, has proven it can win games when its stars are out. It’s doing it with defense, trying to hold teams as close to or under 100 points. It’s working so far. The Nets have won 6 of their last 8 games, and Irving hasn’t played in any of them.