Nets take the long way home, bury Bulls with 3-point barrage
Nets forward Trendon Watford shoots over Bulls forward Dalen Terry for a three-point basket in the first half of an NBA game at Barclays Center on Friday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Mikal Bridges caught an inbounds pass as the shot clock was running down in the fourth quarter. He made a three-pointer with Alex Caruso guarding him and the shot clock buzzer going off.
Bridges held up a three with his fingers and circled his eye, a twist on his usual head-wagging celebration. He and Dennis Schroder help the Nets tie an NBA record for threes in a half during the Nets’ 125-108 win Friday night.
The Nets (29-45) went 18-for-24 on threes in the second half at Barclays Center, tying a NBA record set by four other teams while setting a franchise record. Their 25 total threes tied a season-high, also set against the Bulls back on Nov. 26
“We were due for one of these games,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “We got some good shooters out there. We haven’t been shooting up to our capabilities but they just sticked with it.”
Bridges and Schroder each made seven three-pointers. It was a season-high for Bridges and for Schroder, it was his most in a game since April 10, 2019 when he made a career-high eight.
Yet neither Schroder nor Bridges led the Nets in scoring. That would be Cam Thomas, who only made five three-pointers but had 28 points. Schroder had 27 points and Bridges had 25.
“Once you get stops, we just got confidence on the other end,” Bridges said. “We was looking for each other, just sharing the ball.”
The Nets shot better on threes (56.8%) than two-point field goals (38.3%) against the Bulls. While the Bulls (35-39) made just nine three-pointers, the Nets matched that total in both the third and fourth quarters.
It fueled the Nets to a third consecutive win, matching their longest win streak of the season. The Nets also forced 13 turnovers and outscored the Bulls 78-56 in the second half.
The avalanche of threes came after the Nets shot just 37% from the field in the first half. They trailed 52-47 and early in the third quarter, Ollie called timeout and told his team to relax.
“Every shot in the first half was like the world was on our shoulders," Ollie said. "We got a great crowd out there, just relax, get into a flow and we have to do the small things.”
Message delivered. Trailing 59-52, the Nets re-took the lead during a 17-4 run. They also made seven of their first eight three-point attempts in the quarter.
"You're not going to lose too many games like that," Thomas said of the shooting display.
Nic Claxton had 11 points and 13 rebounds for his 28th double-double this season. He started the game wearing a black, custom-fitted mask because of a nasal fracture. It lasted longer than the mask he wore Wednesday but he ditched it in the second quarter after it fell down his face while being fouled.
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with a game-high 31 points. The Nets are now 5 1/2 games behind the Hawks for the final play-in tournament spot with eight left. The Hawks were idle Friday
Nets notes
Cam Johnson (sprained left big toe) and Dennis Smith Jr. (right hip synovitis) missed their third consecutive game. Ollie said pregame Johnson were to meet with Nets doctors Friday night or Saturday to determine his prognosis going forward
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
