Erik Slater Articles - Page 37

Once upon a time the top storyline of the new-look Brooklyn Nets meeting the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs would have been Ben Simmons. However, the former number-one pick’s dynamic in a Philly playoff setting is a moot point since Brooklyn shut the big man down for the rest of the season due to a […]

The Brooklyn Nets are heavy underdogs in their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Whether by seeding, betting odds, or public opinion, the Nets are a long shot in the eyes of everyone but their own. “I don’t think we really look into it too much like that,” Joe Harris said regarding Brooklyn’s underdog status. […]

Mikal Bridges developed his game growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The breakout Brooklyn Nets forward was a diehard 76ers fan, frequently attending games at Wells Fargo Center, then called the Wachovia Center. He went on to play at Great Valley High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he would earn All-State honors and a […]

Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn is no stranger to strategy meetings ahead of a playoff series. Brooklyn’s first-round matchup with Philadelphia will mark the team’s fifth consecutive year in the postseason. Vaughn, who spent six years with the Nets as an assistant before being promoted this season, has played a role in the preparation for […]

Doc Rivers sat down at the podium ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers’ regular-season finale Sunday in Brooklyn. He candidly joked about the irrelevance of the game given both teams would rest their top players ahead of the upcoming first-round matchup. The conversation shifted to a more serious tone when the head coach was asked how […]

Cam Thomas has made one thing abundantly clear during his second NBA season with the Brooklyn Nets: he can score at an elite level when called upon. With the Nets resting their entire rotation in their season-finale against Philadelphia Sunday, Thomas exploded for a career-high 46 points on 16-of-29 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 […]

Following a 52-point outburst in Boston Tuesday during which he shot 20-of-25 from the field, Joel Embiid has cemented his status as the MVP favorite over Nikola Jokic this season. Steph Curry and Damian Lillard recently pointed to the Philadelphia 76ers big man as their pick for the award, and Sixers head coach Doc Rivers […]

The Nets locked themselves into a first-round matchup with the 76ers with a win Friday. Brooklyn will face off with Philadelphia in Sunday’s regular-season finale but is expected to rest nearly the entire rotation. Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale and Seth Curry have already been ruled out. Nic Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris and […]

The Brooklyn Nets are heading to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. With their 101-84 blowout of the Orlando Magic at Barclays Center Friday, Brooklyn clinched the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed and a first-round matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers. Expectations never shifted within the new-look Nets following the trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie […]

Day’Ron Sharpe found himself on the outside looking in when the Brooklyn Nets established their rotation early this season. Much was made of Brooklyn’s decision to bench the second-year big man, a move that left the team with a glaring hole behind breakout center Nic Claxton. Following the trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, […]

The Brooklyn Nets converted two-way guard David Duke Jr. to a standard NBA contract Friday ahead of the playoffs. The move comes after the team decided not to re-sign center Moses Brown following the expiration of his second 10-day contract. Duke Jr. signed a two-way deal with Brooklyn after going undrafted out of Providence in […]

Two months after rejoining the Brooklyn Nets, Spencer Dinwiddie traveled to Detroit on the night before his 30th birthday with a chance to pull the Nets within one game of clinching a playoff birth. The veteran answered the call, dishing out a career-high 16 assists in a 123-108 win over his former team. .@SDinwiddie_25 was […]

The Nets are on the verge of clinching a playoff berth for the fifth consecutive season. Brooklyn defeated the Detroit Pistons 123-108 Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena, bringing their magic number to secure the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed down to one. A 47-34 first-quarter advantage propelled the Nets to victory in the Motor City. Brooklyn’s […]

Mikal Bridges stepped into a situation unlike any he had experienced during his NBA career when he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. With two generational scorers in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out the door, the 26-year-old was tasked with shouldering a heavy offensive burden for a Brooklyn team that still held playoff aspirations. […]

The Brooklyn Nets fell 107-102 to the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday in a key matchup as they battle to clinch the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed. Spencer Dinwiddie had one of his best games since rejoining the Nets, scoring a game-high 30 points on 13-of-24 shooting with six assists. However, the floor general’s brilliant performance will be […]

Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn faced a monumental task following the trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. With his top two scorers out the door and four new players entering the starting lineup, he had to decipher the winning formula for a new-look Brooklyn squad that still held playoff aspirations. On the court, a […]

Mikal Bridges set the tone for the new-look Brooklyn Nets following a career-best 45-point performance early in his Brooklyn tenure. “Defense always comes first,” he said despite his offensive explosion. “That’s just who I am. I just think defense wins championships.” That appeared to be the winning formula for the Nets upon their acquisitions of […]

The Brooklyn Nets are taking care of business at the right time. After defeating the Utah Jazz Sunday, the Nets have won four of their last five, bringing their magic number to clinch the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed down to two wins. Brooklyn ranks seventh in the NBA in net rating during that span, scoring […]

Spencer Dinwiddie spoke on the court after the Brooklyn Nets’ 111-110 win over the Utah Jazz Sunday. And three words came out of his mouth that you wouldn’t expect after a victory: “We got lucky.” That may be putting it lightly. After leading by 20 points with 6:25 remaining in the game, the Nets shot […]

The Brooklyn Nets faced one major criticism after sending Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns: They traded an all-time great and didn’t receive a star in return. Just 22 games into his Nets tenure, Mikal Bridges has already silenced that narrative. The 26-year-old continued his breakout stretch in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on […]

The Nets turned in one of their best all-around performances of the new-look era Friday during a 124-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The win comes with Brooklyn battling to avoid falling into the play-in for the second consecutive season. 3 key takeaways from Nets’ blowout win over Hawks 3. Dorian Finney-Smith turns in best […]

One question stood out over all the rest for the new-look Brooklyn Nets after trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving: who would step up and produce in crunch time? Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie have taken the reins as late-game ball handlers for Brooklyn. However, it has been Royce O’Neale, the Nets’ offseason acquisition from […]

Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, aka “The Twins”, were heralded at the trade deadline as the centerpieces of the Nets’ return for Kevin Durant. Bridges has made headlines during a breakout stretch with Brooklyn, averaging 26.8 points on 49/92/91 shooting splits. But it has been Johnson who led the Nets to a pair of crucial […]

Kevin Durant’s tumultuous relationship with the Brooklyn Nets came to a head following Kyrie Irving’s trade request at the deadline. The former MVP requested a trade for the second time in six months and landed with the Phoenix Suns, his long-desired destination. Despite the decision to bolt from Brooklyn, Durant told the Athletic’s Shams Charania […]

“It’s a make-or-miss league.” The phrase so commonly used by Kevin Durant this season has routinely doomed the Brooklyn Nets late in games since trading the all-time great scorer. The new-look Nets held the NBA’s 23rd-ranked 4th-quarter offense over 20 games heading into Wednesday’s matchup vs. the Houston Rockets. However, in a game where Brooklyn […]

The Nets’ lack of depth behind breakout center Nic Claxton has been a frequent talking point this season. Brooklyn ranks 29th in rebounding, allowing 11.4 offensive boards per game. The glaring roster hole had largely been viewed as an indictment of second-year big man Day’Ron Sharpe’s lack of development. The 29th pick in the 2021 […]

The Brooklyn Nets ruled out Ben Simmons for the remainder of the season Tuesday, officially ending the three-time All-Star’s underwhelming 2022-23 campaign. Simmons was diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back Friday after 15 consecutive absences post-All-Star break. The 26-year-old sat out all of last season while citing a back injury and mental health […]

If there’s one positive the Brooklyn Nets can take from their 119-106 loss in Orlando Sunday, it’s that Mikal Bridges has the look of a budding star. The breakout forward poured in 44 points, one shy of his career high, on 13-of-22 shooting from the field and 6-of-9 from three. Bridges set career high’s in […]

The Brooklyn Nets failed to build upon a dramatic comeback win over the Miami Heat on a quick turnaround in Orlando Sunday. Brooklyn fell 116-109 to the Orlando Magic, with several negatives from their recent five-game losing streak resurfacing. 3 Nets takeaways from decisive loss vs. Magic 3. Defense falters on back end of back-to-back […]

“Stay ready” has been the motto of the Brooklyn Nets’ bench unit throughout the 2022-23 season. With the ever-changing nature of the roster through suspensions, injuries and a pair of blockbuster trades, that motto has been put to the test. One of the faces at the forefront of the movement has been first-year Net Edmond […]

If there was ever a must-win game for the Brooklyn Nets this season, it was Saturday’s matchup in Miami. Brooklyn came into the game on a five-game losing streak that pushed them a half-game back of the Heat to seventh in the Eastern Conference. Miami entered winners of seven of their last 10. The Heat […]

The Brooklyn Nets are not expecting Ben Simmons to return this season after the three-time All-Star was diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back, head coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters Saturday. “Ben was going through the process of strengthening, being on the court, being reevaluated. During one of those reevaluations, the impingement presented itself,” […]

The Brooklyn Nets did everything necessary to set themselves up for a much-needed win Thursday vs. the Cavaliers. They turned a weakness into a strength, out-rebounding Cleveland 26-14 in the first half to open up a 10-0 second chance points advantage. Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie combined for 57 points on 20-of-34 shooting. And they […]

Five weeks have passed since Ben Simmons last appeared in a game for the Brooklyn Nets. There has been little indication that he will anytime soon. Despite insistence that the three-time All-Star is “progressing”, head coach Jacque Vaughn has been unable to provide a timetable for Simmons’ return. Vaughn notably denied rumors on four separate […]

The three-point shot is more prevalent than ever before as the NBA moves further into the age of analytics. That reality has given the term “live and die by the three” a whole new meaning, especially for a team like the Brooklyn Nets. With an influx of three-point shooting wings following the trades of Kevin […]

The Brooklyn Nets’ early-season suspension of Kyrie Irving for social media posts linking to an antisemitic film drew a strong response from several NBA players. Among those voices was Jaylen Brown, a former teammate of Irving’s and vice president of the players union. Brown doubled down on his Nets criticism Tuesday, calling the terms of […]

The Brooklyn Nets fell from perennial contender status to a fringe playoff team following the trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Through all the dysfunction of the last two-plus seasons, one viewpoint surrounding the Nets remained consistent: no one wanted to face them in a first-round series. That fear factor dissipated with the departures […]

The Denver Nuggets’ matchup with the Brooklyn Nets Sunday brought former Net Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Deandre Jordan back to the Barclays Center. Brown and Green played alongside Brooklyn’s big three of James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant during the 2021-22 season. And neither was surprised the once-heralded trio officially imploded at this […]

The Brooklyn Nets are battling for their playoff lives with 11 games remaining in the regular season. Following a three-game losing streak, Brooklyn’s lead on the Miami Heat for sixth place in the East has been whittled down to one game. And one area that plagued the Nets early this year has carried over to […]