If the Brooklyn Nets' 26-point drubbing of the Golden State Warriors on opening night is any indication, they truly are up for big things in the 2020-21 season.
Apart from giving Steve Nash the first W of his coaching career, the Nets accomplished five amazing feats in their 125-99 victory at Barclays Center.
Tuesday's game was a rousing success for the league's new dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who combined for 48 points in their first official NBA game as teammates. Brooklyn's super-sub Caris LeVert also provided them a huge boost, as the trio aligned themselves with some of the Nets' best players in franchise history.
From NetsPR@KyrieIrving (26 points), @KDTrey5 (22 points) and @CarisLeVert (20 points) combined to tally 68 points tonight.
They're the first Nets trio to tally 20+ points in a season opener since Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and Antoine Wright in 2007 opener vs. Chicago.
— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) December 23, 2020
Considering they dealt with some major injuries last year, points were sometimes hard to come by for the team. That wasn't the case in the opener, as the Nets dropped 40 points in the first 12 minutes against the helpless Warriors defense.
The Nets scored 40 points in the 1st quarter.
That's their most points in any quarter in a season opening game in team history. pic.twitter.com/yGsLJeL1Zp
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 23, 2020
The Nets also hasn't had the best of luck in season openers for the past seven years, as they lost their first game during that stretch. The tides turned on Tuesday, signaling brighter days ahead in Brooklyn.
The Nets have won their first season opener since defeating the Raptors in 2012.
Their 7-game losing streak in season openers was the longest active streak in the NBA entering this season. pic.twitter.com/D2eyfOyBMk
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 23, 2020
The NBA, meanwhile, has welcomed a lot of promising first-time head coaches in several years. Steve Nash has now joined that fray, as the win marked the third-largest victory margin for a debuting NBA coach.
The 26 point win for Brooklyn in Steve Nash's head coaching debut is the 3rd-largest win in a head coach's debut in NBA history.
h/t @EliasSports https://t.co/0vVPrOBpWN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 23, 2020
Considering the Nets held the lead from opening tip to the final horn, they had plenty of chances to empty their bench come garbage time. The team suited up all 15 players on their active list–another first in league history.
A pretty wild stat from @EliasSports: Tonight, the Nets became the first team in NBA history to play 15 different players in a regular season or playoff game.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) December 23, 2020
The Nets will return to action this Saturday against the Boston Celtics.