The Nets fans finally had something to cheer about post the embarrassing 153-121 loss against the Kings, as Kevin Durant and co stole one on the road against the western conference first-seed Trail Blazers. In what was a nail-biting finish, with Royce O’Neal coming up clutch big-time, who also had his first career triple-double.
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It was an overall effort from the Nets’ roster, with Ben Simmons having his best game since arrival in Brooklyn. The former ROTY recorded a highly efficient double-double. An overall contribution with the likes of Nic Claxton, Joe Harris, and Yuta Watanabe chipping-in.
Ironically, the win over the Blazers comes post-Durant’s controversial comments on his teammates, demonstrating a lack of confidence in them.
Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today, former player-turned-analyst Kendrick Perkins wasn’t too impressed with the Nets’ win, having some strong words for Jacque Vaughn and his crew.
“They are still the Brooklyn Nets, they still s**k”: Kendrick Perkins shows no mercy.
By the looks of it, Perkins wasn’t too impressed with the Nets’ win over Blazers, dishing out his candid takeaways with host Malika Andrews and NBA Insider Zach Lowe in presence.
“Malika, did Zach say patience, did he say patience when it came down to Ben Simmons, look this is not no hospital, this is the NBA, and we’ve been patient enough with Ben Simmons when it comes down to him needing to perform at an All-Star level,” said Big Perk.
Nonetheless, the former Thunder teammate did have some praise for KD and his crew.
“Kevin Durant basically called out his role players by saying, ‘Look who am I on the floor with,’ after their last loss to the Sacramento Kings, Royce O’Neal responded in great fashion last night with his career first triple-double along with Ben Simmons playing, I mean all across the board, they were feisty, they got down and dirty and a matter of fact, the role players actually bailed Kevin Durant out in the clutch when it mattered the most.”
However, in conclusion, Perkins wasn’t willing to pay too much heed to the win against the Blazers, stating that the Nets still s**ked.
What does the future hold ahead for the Nets?
Currently holding a 7-9 record, the Nets look far away from being a contender in the eastern conference, especially against teams like the Celtics and Bucks.
According to the latest reports, Kyrie Irving will be back in the lineup in the Sunday game against the Grizzlies game, post missing a bunch of games due to the antisemitic controversy that had him suspended.
While the return of the former champion and seven-time All-Star does give the Nets’ roster a boost, they still have a series of issues to address, a key area being their horrid defense. Will GM Sean Marks make some moves before the trade deadline? only time will tell.
