Nets beat Hornets, surpass last season’s win total
The Nets' Rondae Hollis-Jefferson celebrates after a basket against the Hornets during the second half in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, March 8, 2018. Credit: AP / Chuck Burton
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was the end of a five-game, 11-day road trip in which the Nets hopscotched from Cleveland to Sacramento to Los Angeles and the Bay Area before returning to the Eastern time zone Thursday night at Spectrum Center.
They had every reason to feel as if they were on their last legs after four straight tough losses. But the Nets not only found their will but also the way to victory lane in a 125-111 victory over the Hornets.
When the Nets lost to the defending champion Warriors on Tuesday, coach Steve Kerr noted what an unusually good offense they have for a team with a losing record, and they showed it against the Hornets behind the leadership of Allen Crabbe’s 29-point game.
“We talked about it after the Golden State game that we had one more game on the road trip, and we had to go get it,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We deserved this one. Our guys showed resiliency. Fatigue games, these are the games where you can cave in to fatigue, and it was a great team win.”
The victory was only the third in the past 19 games for the Nets (21-45), who finally topped last season’s NBA-worst win total. They also got double-figures scoring from Caris LeVert (22), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (18 points, 12 rebounds), DeMarre Carroll (15), Jarrett Allen (13) and Joe Harris (11). They shot 51.1 percent from the field.
The Hornets (28-38) were led by 21 points from Kemba Walker and 19 from Dwight Howard, but they shot 4-for-19 from three-point range and were outscored 13-0 on the fast break.
The Nets built a 16-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, but the Hornets got within 110-102 with the aid of a four-point play by Walker. That’s where the Nets demonstrated their resolve, running off the next 13 points, including a four-point play by Carroll for a 123-102 lead.
“As close as we’ve been, it’s nice to finish it,” Atkinson said. “I think in the three close games we lost, those leads would go down to four or two. I felt we extended the lead, and that was super-important to get that separation.”
The Nets got out of the gate quickly, shooting 63.6 percent in the first quarter. The Hornets bounced back with a 17-4 second-quarter run that included eight points from Jeremy Lamb off the bench to build a 46-41 lead.
Rather than let go of the rope, the Nets dug in and put together a 20-5 run that ended in spectacular fashion when Crabbe hit four straight threes to give them a 63-53 lead. At that point, he had made all seven of his shot attempts, including six from three-point range for 20 points. The Nets reached halftime holding a 65-59 lead and shooting 61 percent.
“I went on a streak in the second quarter and hit a few in a row, just feeling confident and my teammates found me,” Crabbe said. “We executed our offense really well and the defense helped out and we got some easy ones in transition. The most important thing is we got the victory. I felt like that was a big win for us. We needed it, especially going back home and getting a couple games at home.”
There was a point in January when the Nets were on pace for more than 30 wins, but it almost seemed as if they had to break through a mental barrier to surpass the 20-win mark. “I want to end the season with significantly more,” Atkinson said. “I’m frustrated because we were on a pace to really shatter it. Now that we’re healthy, we are going to improve by a decent margin instead of a little margin.”
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
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