Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s 61-point Night Couldn’t Save the Nets From Being 29th on Defense

The Los Angeles Lakers now have competition for the title of the worst team in the NBA, and it’s Brooklyn Nets from the east who are competing for it. Both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are trying their best but fall short somehow.

Consisting of arguably the best offensive duo in the league, the team who had the top odds to win the East last season is not even going to finish within the Play-in spot like their 2021-22.

Both Durant and Irving are desperate for a championship and barely stayed this year in Brooklyn because the Nets weren’t able to get suitable trade assets for the duo.

Also read: “Kyrie Irving Says He’s Not Antisemitic, But His Tweet is Still Up”: Richard Jefferson Calls Out Nets Star While Commentating in the Pacers Game

Winning this year is as important for their legacy as it is for Joe Tsai to make this expensive team win at least one before they leave. But the way his team has started their 2022-23, it doesn’t seem likely to happen this year.

Kevin Durant is willing to work both offensively and defensively but his team isn’t

In their sixth game of the season on Saturday, the Nets were having home advantage and hosted a 2-4 Indiana Pacers at the Barclays Center.

They should have had it easily if they really do consider themselves contenders and wanted to get back on winning terms having lost four games already.

But even after Kyrie (35) and KD’s (26) combined 61-point night, the Nets succumbed 116-125 to Tyrese Haliburton and Co. And it is mostly due to their defense which currently ranks last-but-one in the league.

(📸 @_Talkin_NBA) pic.twitter.com/UVOxVYSnyM

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 30, 2022

KD is even putting up on the defensive side of the ball.

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 30, 2022

The Nets are the Lakers of the East

The Nets’ doppelgangers in the West Conference are struggling only on offense having the league-worst rating. What a bad coincidence happening with two of the best players in the league.

Lakers having played a game less and won none, LeBron James will have a chance to match up Kevin Durant’s win record of 1-5 when he takes on Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets again on Sunday.

Also read: “Luka Doncic isn’t the best player in the world!”: Stephen A Smith Won’t put Mavericks Star Ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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