The Nets think they’re still championship-caliber even with Kyrie Irving sitting at home. Now comes the job of proving it.
The Nets closed out the preseason with a 107-101 victory over Minnesota before a crowd of 11,210 at Barclays Center on Thursday. Irving wasn’t among them, barred due to his refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine. No matter.
The goal hasn’t been changed, and the bar hasn’t been lowered.
“We lost an incredibly talented player, but we’re still a very talented group — veterans, character, and we can build something great,” coach Steve Nash said. “Our goal hasn’t changed: It’s just the way there has to be a little bit different.”
Like a little less highlight-reel offense, and a bit more defense and size. They experimented going big for a change, and held Minnesota to 41.3 percent shooting and 11-for-44 from 3-point range.
Joe Harris, who scored 23 points, goes up for a layup during the Nets’ 107-101 preseason win over the Timberwolves. AP“It was a productive night. We got to see different combinations. Guys got minutes in their legs and it was pretty even and consistent. We had patches and stretches that were really good. So it was a good little step for us,” Nash said. “It showed we’ve got a long way to go. We’re moving in the right direction. We need these days. Overall, I was pleased with the effort out there.”
Joe Harris led the way with 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 7-for-10 from deep. And the stars played like stars, Kevin Durant with 19 points and seven rebounds while James Harden had his best outing of the preseason with 14 assists.
The Nets started two traditional bigs in Nic Claxton and Paul Millsap, and moved Harris from small forward to off-guard in lieu of Irving.
The bigs played well. LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 points off the bench, while Millsap added 10 points and nine boards. But the most auspicious was Claxton.
“[Claxton] was phenomenal getting to the rim, guarding guys on the perimeter, blocking shots at the rim,” Durant said. “We’re going to need that from him every night and we expect that out of him.”
Claxton was back after missing Monday’s preseason loss in Philadelphia with a non-COVID illness. He’s struggled with getting his conditioning back up, playing poorly in the preseason opening win at the Lakers on Oct. 3, but improved against the Timberwolves and had 11 points, seven boards and stellar defense to finish plus-26 on Thursday.
“Nic gives us a unique profile — long, agile, athletic defender and a rim-roller. We saw the energy,” Nash said. “He was a little more active, a little more impact he has on the game. As his conditioning improves, so can his role on this team.”
