Nets blow 23-point lead, maintain on to beat Hornets with out Ball, Hayward

The actual strategy to save Kevin Durant’s legs for the tip of the season is to finish his night time early in opposition to lesser opponents.

As evidenced by the Nets’ meltdown of their 122-118 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, that’s a lot simpler stated than executed.

The Nets have been on tempo to present Durant a half-day. They led by 23 within the second quarter, largely as a consequence of Seth Curry’s scorching taking pictures in opposition to his hometown staff and Kyrie Irving’s aggressive scoring in opposition to Terry Rozier, his understudy on the Boston Celtics who now performs a key function in Charlotte.

The Nets blew the Hornets out of the water within the first half. The sport was imagined to be over.

[ Ben Simmons targeting return Friday vs. Hawks: ‘I feel good, really good’ ]

After which they took their foot off the gasoline. They left Durant on the bench far too lengthy, then misplaced these minutes whereas he watched from the sidelines. That is the opposite aspect of the Durant workload conundrum: Sure he leads the NBA in minutes; sure, he’s 34 years outdated in his fifteenth NBA season; sure, he’s 4 seasons faraway from a devastating ruptured Achilles; and sure, the Nets wish to make certain he’s wholesome and contemporary for the playoffs.

However when he doesn’t play, the Nets battle.

The Hornets turned Brooklyn’s 23-point lead right into a one-point sport till Durant checked again in halfway via the fourth quarter. After scoring 20 via the primary three intervals, he scored 9 extra down the stretch to safe the victory, giving the Nets their eighth win of their final 11 video games.

For the primary half of the night time, the sport plan labored. The Nets went deep into their rotation — and so they took care of enterprise in opposition to a non-playoff opponent.

Till they took their foot off the gasoline.

Whereas the Hornets have been with out franchise cornerstone LaMelo Ball (ankle) and oft-injured star Gordon Hayward (shoulder), the Nets are arising on a totally wholesome 10-man rotation. Ben Simmons (calf pressure) and Yuta Watanabe (hamstring pressure) are the one key rotation gamers who missed Wednesday’s sport.

Early on, it was an excessive amount of for the Hornets to deal with. Even with out Simmons and Watanabe, the Nets flexed the depth they hope can carry them — each in video games Durant sits out and minutes he watches from the bench.

Durant did his injury early. On one possession, he crossed over Charlotte’s Kelly Oubre Jr. and drove to the the rim along with his proper hand earlier than ending with an emphatic two-handed stuff.

And on different possessions, he did nothing in any respect. His teammates picked up the place he left off.

Three Nets scored 20 or extra, with Curry coming off the bench to hold 20 factors on his hometown staff. Irving scored a game-high 33 factors. Regardless that all 5 Hornets’ starters scored in double figures, Charlotte received near nothing from its bench. Curry outscored the Hornets’ reserves on his personal.

To not point out the atrocious Hornets’ protection let Nets’ gamers stroll to the rim uncontested usually.

The Nets, although, want to search out methods to play first half basketball within the second half. It’s the distinction between Durant enjoying his common of 37 minutes a sport and enjoying 25.

These minutes will add up on the finish of the season. When the playoffs come round, he’ll be on the courtroom a minimal of 40 minutes an evening.