Nets shake up lineup and dominate Jazz with Kevin Durant out
Kyrie Irving of the Nets reacts on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Jazz at Barclays Center on Jan. 5. Credit: Jim McIsaac
With Kevin Durant in quarantine after being exposed to someone infected with COVID-19, Nets coach Steve Nash called on his team for an inspired effort and he reinforced that message by replacing three other starters in addition to Durant. The wake-up call was received loud and clear by the Nets, who responded with a dominant 130-96 victory Tuesday night at Barclays Center.
Veteran Jeff Green started at forward in place of Durant, Jarrett Allen replaced DeAndre Jordan at center, Taurean Prince took over at small forward for Joe Harris and Bruce Brown started at shooting guard in place of Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. The only regular starter was Kyrie Irving, who made his first nine shots on his way to a 29-point game to lead the Nets (4-4) to their resounding win.
Caris LeVert came off the bench to drop 24 points, and Allen had 19 points, 18 rebounds and two blocked shots for the Nets, who shot 55.9% percent from the field and 38.9% from three-point range. Donovan Mitchell topped the Jazz with 31 points, but they were outrebounded 51-42, were outscored in the paint, 68-40, and 66-33 in bench points.
It wasn’t the loss of Durant that triggered the wholesale lineup change by Nash. Four losses in the previous five games was plenty of reason for a shakeup. "We don’t have much practice time, we have Kevin out with COVID protocols, and we were struggling," Nash said. "We have to find out who we are, what we are and where we need to improve. We’ll see different lineups. Really proud of everyone for accepting that change and that dynamic and coming together and playing their butts off for one another."
The energy Allen brought to the starting lineup at the center position was evident from the outset. He was active at both ends early, stepping up to the challenge of taking on Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert.
"He did it all," Nash said of Allen. "He rebounded, he protected the basket, he blocked shots, he got steals. He was just so impactful. Incredible energy. Scored in traffic, scored through contact. Just did it all. Tonight was a phenomenal game against a top-quality team and a top-quality center."
Brown, Prince and Green all brought a defensive mentality, and Irving was on fire offensively making all seven of his first-quarter shots including four three-pointers for 18 points in the period as the Nets built a 35-14 lead that represented their biggest lead in any quarter this season.
In the second quarter, the Nets ran their lead to 26 points, and Irving ran his shooting streak to 9 of 9 before missing his next three. Allen just kept getting better in the third quarter, blocking two Gobert shots at the rim. LeVert got hot late, scoring 14 points in an 18-12 run that gave the Nets a commanding 98-73 lead at the end of the period.
"It’s really satisfying, especially because we played so well on the defensive end, which is kind of where we’ve been struggling," LeVert said. "We feel like we can score with anybody in the league offensively. But defensively, we took a step in the right direction."
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
