Player grades: Kyrie Irving scores 33 to lead Nets over Hornets
The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday for the second of four matchups this season and won 122-118. Brooklyn now leads the regular-season series 2-0.
Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and had nine assists for the Nets while Kevin Durant had 29 points and nine rebounds. Seth Curry scored 20 points off the bench and Nic Claxton had 14 points and seven rebounds.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 30 points and eight rebounds for the Hornets while Terry Rozier had 29 points and five assists. Jalen McDaniels had 19 points and Mason Plumlee had 13 points.
The Nets did not play much defense in this one as they were just so good on offense that it didn’t matter. The Hornets were able to get just about any shot they wanted, but wasn’t as efficient from the field.
The Hornets had a poor performance from the free-throw line and that helped out the Nets. However, the second half got away from the Nets as they were unable to continue their offensive explosion into the third quarter.
This game got close late as Brooklyn had some trouble defending the dribble and the pick-and-roll. The Hornets were able to be carried by Rozier and Oubre Jr. until the very end.
Here are the Nets’ player grades:
Kevin Durant: A
Durant was able to get any shot he wanted in this game. He made most of his impact with his patented mid-range jumper and he was even able to get to the rim on a few occasions for some nice dunks. Durant showed some burst in his ability to get by some of the Hornets and he was vital on helping Brooklyn stay competitive on the boards.
Kyrie Irving: A+
Irving wasn’t effective from three-point land, but he was able to create many shots inside the arc. Irving had some vintage finishes at the rim that left the Barclay’s Center crowd in awe. Irving did a great job of looking for the open man when he wasn’t able to create anything on his own. He also did a good job on defense as he was able to get some blocks while providing help defense.
Joe Harris: B
Harris has seemed to have broken out of his shooting slump as he had another good game shooting the ball. One difference in the way Harris has played lately is him looking for his shot with more intention. Even though he did not shoot much in this game, he did look at the rim every time he touched the ball. Harris also played solid defense and was able to make his man work for buckets.
Royce O'Neale: C
O’Neale did not do much offensively in this game, but he was vital in helping the offense flow. O’Neale did not look for his shot much as he looked tired, but he did a good job in swinging the ball to keep the set moving along. O’Neale had a decent night on defense, but it looks like the heavy minutes are starting to get to him.
Nic Claxton: B
Claxton did a good job protecting the rim in this game even though he had some occasions where he gave the Hornets an clear lane to the basket. Claxton has been doing a good job rebounding the basketball and trying to play as big as he can. He did a good job of finishing at the rim when the ball came to him and was showing good energy all game.
Seth Curry: B+
Curry started this game like a man on a mission. After scoring just nine points in his past four games, Curry scored that many in the first quarter of this game. He looked spry and showed what he could with his dribble when he has his confidence. Curry also did a good job of looking for cutters to the basket to set up some easy points.
Edmond Sumner: C+
Sumner did a good job of looking for his shot when he was in the game and he didn’t look the least bit rusty. Sumner did his job in providing pressure on the perimeter and forcing the offense to move faster than what was scripted. Sumner is not much of an outside shooter, but he even showed that off in this game.
TJ Warren: D
Warren did not have much of an impact in this game as he didn’t much at all. He did not get many looks when he was out there, but he was able to help set up some teammates for scores.
Markieff Morris: C
Morris provided solid minutes when he was in the game as he was able to hit some key threes when the Nets were pouring it on. However, he did have some trouble defending on the drive and that may have led to him not playing much as the game wore on.
Cam Thomas: D
Thomas tried his best to look for his shot in this game, but he was unable to get anything to fall. He did a better job with his shot selection, but it was clear early on that this wasn’t his game offensively. It looks like his poor defense led to him not playing that much in this contest.
