Nets looking forward to more home cooking
Kyrie Irving brings the ball upcourt against the Thunder in the second half at Barclays Center on Jan. 15. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Nets’ game against the Pistons at Barclays Center on Thursday night began a stretch of nine of 11 at home. And even the two road trips are modest — to Boston and Manhattan.
But the Nets earned that right. Entering Thursday night, they had played only 20 home games out of their 47 overall, the fewest in the NBA.
Asked before the game what he wants to see during this stretch, coach Jacque Vaughn said, “Just the opportunity to sleep in your own bed.”
He added, “The games are still going to come fast and furious. But our approach has to be to take care of our home court and have a real sense of purpose every single night we get the chance to play at home.”
When asked if he was aware that the Nets had played the fewest home games — going 13-7 entering the Pistons game — Vaughn said he had not done the math but was not surprised by the stat.
“I totally didn’t calculate the rest of it,” he said, “but I was assuming I would spend a few more nights in my bed hopefully coming up.”
Vaughn said he views Barclays Center as a significant homecourt edge. “I love our vibe here,’’ he said. “This is a great place to have a game. I love the dimness of the lights. I think that the little glisten off the top of my [bald] dome, good to see that a little bit throughout the game.
“I think our fans are great. This is a great place. I like where our place is located. I walk to the games, which is pretty cool. So for me, that part of it, I feel a part of the community. I feel a part of Brooklyn. So I love the homecourt part of it and I hope our guys feel it also.”
Notes & quotes: Seth Curry had an excellent game in Wednesday night’s 137-133 loss to the 76ers, scoring 32 points, his most as a Net. But it came at a cost. Curry sat out Thursday night because of a sore knee. “We’ll see,” Vaughn said. “Hopefully it’s a minor thing.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
