The Brooklyn Nets came into a two-game stretch against Milwaukee and Cleveland on a seven-game win streak. However, with a favorable schedule throughout the hot stretch, the matchups against two of the league's best teams had the feel of a litmus test for Brooklyn.
The red-hot Nets lived up to the billing and then some.
After a dominant 118-100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Friday, Brooklyn rolled into Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse Monday and took down the Cleveland Cavaliers 125-117. The Nets led by as many as 19 points in the win, with Cleveland's only lead coming at 3-0.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving took turns torching the Cavs' defense, scoring 32 points apiece on 21 of 37 combined shooting from the field and 12 of 19 from three. The pairing has been the league's most dominant duo over the last few weeks, combining for 60.4 points per game during Brooklyn's nine-game win streak.
Irving drained a season-high seven 3-pointers on 11 attempts during the win. The guard exploded during separate stretches in the second and fourth quarters to give the Nets their largest leads of the night. Irving drained four shots, three of them 3-pointers, in the final three minutes of the first half to spur a 19-4 Brooklyn run.
As they normally do, the Nets rested Durant at the start of the fourth quarter. Irving would go on to score on three straight possessions at the start of the period to give Brooklyn a 19-point lead, their largest of the night.
And the Nets needed every bit of that lead to close out the win with Darius Garland exploding for 19 points in the final frame. Garland finished with a game-high 46 on 14-of-20 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from three.
Irving has been among the most efficient scorers in the league after an eight-game suspension in early November. The seven-time All-Star is averaging 25.6 points on 50.7 percent shooting from the field and 40.3 percent from three in 16 appearances since returning. Irving's suspension was the latest of a slew of off-court issues that had plagued his time in Brooklyn. However, the fourth-year Net has stayed out of the headlines while taking on a leadership role during the team's recent hot streak.
“Any external negativity or praise, I really don't care about it,” he said after Friday's win. “I think I'm just focused on being the best version of me and just letting the results play out based on how well we trust each other as a group.”
Durant knocked down 5-of-8 three-pointers on Monday. The fourth-year Net has firmly cemented himself in the MVP race while carrying Brooklyn up the Eastern Conference standings. The former MVP is averaging 31.6 points per game on 59.9 percent shooting from the field and 41.6 percent from three over his last 15 games.
Durant's 67.3 true shooting percentage this season ranks second in the NBA among 38 players attempting 16.5 or more shots per game, trailing only Nikola Jokic.
32 apiece for KD & Kyrie 🔥
9 straight @BrooklynNets wins 🔥 pic.twitter.com/q3PFpwD0B7
— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2022
Monday's win marks Brooklyn's 16th in 19 games. However, prior to the victories over Milwaukee and Cleveland, just three of their last 14 wins had come over teams that are currently above .500. And Durant acknowledged prior to Monday's matchup that the opportunity to compete against the league's best is something his team looks forward to.
“We all look for matchups in the regular season that mean something,” Durant said via Brian Lewis. “We all love the playoffs; so as close as we can get to that type of intensity, you want that in a regular season.”
Ben Simmons turned in another high-level performance during the win, posting four points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals while making a noticeable impact defensively. The low scoring total should not divert attention away from Simmons' showing. The three-time All-Star controlled the first half of the game in numerous areas: rotating to help on defense, protecting the rim, pushing the pace and dominating the offensive glass. Simmons finished a team-high plus 23 for the night.
Brooklyn once again received game-changing contributions from their bench Monday. T.J. Warren scored a season-high 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting. The 6'8″ forward has made an immediate impact since returning from a two-year absence, averaging 12.7 points per game on 60.3 percent shooting while adding a versatile defensive presence over his last seven games.
Yuta Watanabe scored 10 points while again coming up clutch in the fourth quarter. The forward drained two three-pointers in the final frame to maintain Brooklyn's double-digit lead. Warren and Watanabe are proving to be among the top-value signings of the summer after joining the Nets on minimum deals.
The Nets' nine-game win streak is the team's longest since moving to Brooklyn. With Monday's win, the Nets move ahead of the Cavaliers for third place in the East. After a 2-7 start, Brooklyn sits just a half game back of Milwaukee for second and two games back of Boston for first.
Durant, Irving and Co. will look to continue their historic push when they travel to Atlanta and Charlotte later this week.
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