Erik Slater Articles - Page 44

Several problems arise when building an argument for the Brooklyn Nets as title contenders. At the forefront of those is the team’s reliance on Kevin Durant. The 34-year-old has played every game for Brooklyn this season and is leading the league in minutes by a wide margin. While Durant is having one of the best […]

For the first time this season, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets can call themselves a winning basketball team. Brooklyn clawed over .500 Wednesday with a 113-107 win over the Washington Wizards. The Nets have won six of their last eight since an embarrassing 153-121 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 15. And if […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons will miss the team’s next three games after being diagnosed with an upper calf strain. Simmons exited during the second quarter of Brooklyn’s win over the Orlando Magic on Monday and was ruled out with what was called left knee soreness. Head coach Jacque Vaughn said Wednesday that Simmons was […]

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has gathered a long list of accolades during his 14-year NBA career. Those include 12 All-Star appearances, 10 All-NBA selections, four scoring titles, two Finals MVPs, Rookie of the Year, and a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. However, despite his growing status as the greatest scorer of all […]

Kevin Durant is no stranger to putting the Brooklyn Nets on his back. With his team marred by internal dysfunction and injuries over the last season-plus, Durant’s brilliance has remained the one constant in Brooklyn’s hopes of contending. Monday was another one of those nights for Durant. The former MVP dropped 45 points on 19-of-24 […]

Ben Simmons exited during the second quarter of the Brooklyn Nets’ game against the Orlando Magic on Monday and was quickly ruled out with left knee soreness. Simmons missed four games with soreness and swelling in the same knee earlier this season. The three-time All-Star had resembled his old self in recent weeks, averaging 13.6 […]

Nets forward Yuta Watanabe will remain out for Wednesday’s game against Washington with hamstring tightness, according to head coach Jacque Vaughn. “He’s still having some awareness in that hamstring,” Vaughn said Monday of Watanabe’s injury. The forward has missed Brooklyn’s last four games with the injury. Vaughn said Watanabe underwent further imaging on the hamstring […]

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn was fired up prior to his team’s matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday. “Can I lace them up today! I’m ready to pick up full court!” Vaughn yelled on his way to Brooklyn’s locker room. The energy was a stark contrast to his team’s apathetic defensive effort in […]

Brooklyn Nets forward T.J. Warren plans to make his season debut on Dec. 2 against the Toronto Raptors, according to Shams Charania. Warren signed with Brooklyn on a minimum contract this summer. The 29-year-old played just four games over the last two seasons while undergoing several surgeries to repair a navicular stress fracture in his left […]

The Brooklyn Nets blew a 12-point lead Friday in Indiana to drop to 9-11 on the season. After an offensive explosion that allowed the Nets to gain control early, Brooklyn’s defense faltered down the stretch, allowing 71 points on 21 of 40 (52.5 percent) shooting in the second half. The Nets now rank 20th in […]

Ben Simmons continued his hot streak Wednesday as the Brooklyn Nets took down the Toronto Raptors in a 112-98 victory. Simmons filled the stat sheet with 14 points, three rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks on 7-of-9 shooting. The three-time All-Star has resembled his old self after returning from a knee ailment, playing […]

The Brooklyn Nets stepped into a hostile environment when they traveled down the New Jersey Turnpike to Philadelphia Tuesday. Sixers fans have had the date circled on their calendars since Ben Simmons missed Brooklyn’s 129-100 blowout win at Wells Fargo Center last march. The crowd lived up the hype, mercilessly booing Simmons every time he […]

Ben Simmons’ return to Philadelphia dominated headlines heading into Tuesday’s Nets-76ers matchup. Sixers fans lived up to the billing, relentlessly booing Simmons from the opening tip to the final buzzer. Despite this, the former 76er showed up and played inspired, efficient basketball. The problem for the Nets was none of his teammates did the same. […]

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn provided injury updates on TJ Warren and Yuta Watanabe ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Nets ruled out Watanabe with hamstring tightness Tuesday. The 28-year-old, who signed a non-guaranteed contract with Brooklyn this summer, has been one of the feel-good storylines of the NBA over the […]

Ben Simmons was asked Tuesday if Joel Embiid’s absence from his highly-anticipated return to Philadelphia takes away from the hype surrounding the game. “The fans will make up for it,” he replied with a laugh. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s gonna be fun.” Simmons will take the floor at Wells Fargo Center Tuesday for […]

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving trotted out to a deafening roar from the Barclays Center crowd Sunday during his first pregame introduction following an eight-game suspension. On a day where Irving’s apology for posts linking to an antisemitic film made morning headlines, the focus surprisingly shifted toward basketball Sunday night. Brooklyn defeated the Memphis Grizzlies […]

Attacking the rim, pushing the pace, grabbing rebounds, creating for teammates, defending – this is the Ben Simmons the Brooklyn Nets envisioned for the 2022-23 season. What was labeled as the Kyrie Irving return game turned into the Simmons show Sunday night. The first-year Net continued his breakout in a 127-115 win over Memphis, posting […]

Kyrie Irving will return to the Brooklyn Nets’ starting lineup Sunday after an eight-game suspension. The Nets posted a 5-3 record without Irving, who has been at the center of a month-long media circus following his posts of an antisemitic film. Irving issued a lengthy public apology before Brooklyn listed the guard as available for […]

Kyrie Irving will officially return to the Brooklyn Nets from his eight-game suspension Sunday vs. the Memphis Grizzlies. The team suspended the seven-time All-Star on Nov. 3 for his posts linking to an antisemitic film, deeming the guard “unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.” Irving addressed the media Sunday for the first time since […]

Following a 2021-22 season in which the Brooklyn Nets were in desperate need of wings, they decided to take a flier on Yuta Watanabe this offseason. Watanabe, a 28-year-old from Japan, played four years at George Washington before going undrafted in 2018. The forward spent two seasons with Memphis bouncing between the G-League and NBA […]

Questions surrounding Ben Simmons’ slow start had ramped up in recent weeks for the Brooklyn Nets. With Simmons averaging just 5.2 points on 5.0 shots per game heading into this week, a 6-8 Nets squad that already fired its head coach and suspended All-Star guard Kyrie Irving was searching for answers. A Tuesday report from […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is expected to return from suspension Sunday vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, according to Shams Charania. Irving will miss his eighth consecutive game Thursday when the Nets wrap up a four-game West Coast trip in Portland against the Blazers. Brooklyn issued Irving a five-game minimum suspension on Nov. 3 after his […]

Suspended Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving could return to the team as early as Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Irving is expected to miss his eighth straight game Thursday but is said to be nearing the completion of a return-to-play framework. “Kyrie is continuing his journey of dialogue and education,” National Basketball Players Association executive […]

The Brooklyn Nets were riding high after defeating the Clippers Saturday for their fourth win in five games. But the two games since that win over Los Angeles on Saturday night could not have trended further in the opposite direction. The Nets lost by double digits to a 2-10 Lakers team Sunday before being demolished […]

Tuesday night was a disaster for Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets. The Sacramento Kings demolished the Nets, 153-121, in a game that saw the visitors trail by as many as 39 points. The 153 points are the most allowed by the Nets in franchise history. The historic loss, Brooklyn’s second straight, comes after recent […]

For the second time in three days, National Basketball Players Association vice president Jaylen Brown called out Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai amid Kyrie Irving’s suspension. Irving will miss his seventh consecutive game Tuesday after Brooklyn suspended the guard for his repeated refusal to apologize for posts linking to an antisemitic film. When asked Saturday […]

Like their summer, the Brooklyn Nets’ start to the 2022-23 season has been a tumultuous ride. From Steve Nash’s firing to Kyrie Irving’s suspension to Ben Simmons’ early struggles, it was not an exaggeration to say you could not have scripted a worse open to the year. However, the Nets have found success as of […]

Kyrie Irving has missed the Brooklyn Nets’ last six games after the team issued the guard a five-game minimum suspension for his repeated refusal to apologize for posts linking to an antisemitic film. The five-game timeframe passed this weekend, but Irving remained suspended for Brooklyn’s matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday. According to Marc […]

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have never shied away from one another since Durant left Oklahoma City six years ago. The duo has faced off 11 times since the split. The latest came Sunday night with the Los Angeles Lakers claiming a 116-103 wire-to-wire win over the Brooklyn Nets. Durant and Westbrook spent eight seasons […]

The Brooklyn Nets ruled out Ben Simmons for the team’s matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday. Simmons recently returned from an extended absence while dealing with soreness and swelling in his left knee. The 26-year-old played in Brooklyn’s last three games after missing four the week prior. The Nets did not list Simmons on […]

Seth Curry’s breakout performance on Wednesday was the top takeaway from the Brooklyn Nets’ blowout win over the New York Knicks. For a team searching for shot creation alongside Kevin Durant, Curry’s slow recovery from offseason ankle surgery had been a hot topic. With the Nets in control against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, […]

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn has adopted this mindset with Ben Simmons returning from a knee ailment amid a Brooklyn hot streak. Vaughn said Friday that Simmons will continue to come off the bench during a back-t0-back in Los Angeles this weekend. Simmons has struggled to open the […]

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn provided injury updates on Yuta Watanabe and T.J. Warren at practice Friday. Watanabe turned in a limited practice after spraining his ankle Monday during Brooklyn’s loss at Dallas. Vaughn said Watanabe will miss the Nets’ back-to-back against the Lakers and Clippers this weekend but is “trending in the right […]

Suspended Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving had a productive meeting with team owner Joe Tsai Thursday. Brooklyn suspended Irving for a minimum of five games on Nov. 3 after his repeated refusal to apologize for posts linking to an antisemitic film. Tsai Tweeted Friday that both sides “understand each other” after the meeting and are […]

Kyrie Irving missed his fourth-straight game Wednesday amid his suspension by the Brooklyn Nets. The team suspended Irving for a minimum of five games on Nov. 3 following his repeated refusal to apologize for posts of an antisemitic film, saying the guard is “currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.” Irving apologized on […]

The crosstown New York Knicks-Brooklyn Nets “rivalry” has not lived up to that billing as of late. And that isn’t for lack of interest, but rather the fact that the matchup has been a lopsided affair for nearly three seasons. The Nets dominated New York 112-85 Wednesday for their eighth straight win over the Knicks dating […]

Nets general manager Sean Marks called newly-hired head coach Jacque Vaughn “a catalyst” for Brooklyn pregame Wednesday. “Personally, I like the way the team’s been playing. They’ve been competing at a high level. They’ve obviously rallied around each other, they’ve rallied around the coaching staff, they’ve rallied around JV,” Marks said of the hire. “He’s […]

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks called newly-hired head coach Jacque Vaughn “the catalyst” behind the team’s improved play over the last three games. After Vaughn took over as interim head coach for Steve Nash, the Nets claimed back-to-back road wins over the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets before dropping a heartbreaker against the Dallas […]

The Brooklyn Nets named Jacque Vaughn as head coach Wednesday after reports indicated they intended to hire suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka. Vaughn’s new deal extends through the 2023-24 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to […]