Brooklyn gets a huge bounceback win against the Grizzlies
Stretching back to the before the All-Star break, the Nets lost four straight games. Brooklyn finally bounced back by winning against the Memphis Grizzlies, 111 to 86. It was a stellar performance, as Brooklyn got a wire-to-wire win, starting with a solid first quarter.
The win was a well-rounded game from the Nets, with seven players scoring in double figures. Dennis Schroder led Brooklyn with 18 points as the German guard got the starting nod due to Ben Simmons’ injury, moving him to a bench role for this game.
“They just keep believing; there’s been a couple of up-and-down days, unknown days, they just stayed together. One thing I know about this team is that they love each other. That's the only thing I wanna see because love can get through anything,” Ollie said about what he loved seeing from the Nets.
“The joy and the love they share for each other is amazing; they play for each other, they wanna win for each other. That’s what we gotta do, that’s the way we have to play, we have to play with grit, we have to play with defense, and we have to share the basketball.”
A solid bounce-back performance from the Minnesota game
The game against the Timberwolves was one of the Nets’ most disappointing performances. Brooklyn only hit six out of 36 three-pointers, which the team needed to bounce back from. Coach Kevin Ollie did a great job motivating his team to perform well and shoot 35.7% from three.
The Nets were all standouts, as Schroder led the team in scoring, but everyone else kept up. Cameron Thomas and Mikal Bridges combined for only 25 points as the former rolled his ankle, which was insignificant to the result. That is valuable minutes management for Coach Ollie’s star duo as they continue to play well in the team’s quest for a Play-In Tournament spot.
Brooklyn also did a great job defending the Grizzlies, as they only limited them to 86 points. Memphis’ star player, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored only 15 points, while Lamar Stevens stood out with 17 points off the bench.
Brooklyn can use this as a momentum-builder
Brooklyn can use this win to build momentum for the postseason aspirations. With Trae Young injured for the Atlanta Hawks, the Nets have a golden opportunity to qualify for the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference.
It will be a tough stretch for the rest of the season, but Brooklyn has a chance as long as they use this win as a motivation for the success they can earn in the long run.