NEW YORK — That’s how you make an impression on your newest teammates.
With Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson watching from the sidelines, the Nets lit up Barclays Center in a 116-105 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. It was an unlikely victory given the circumstances: The Nets had Kyrie Irving last Friday and moved Kevin Durant in a deal with the Phoenix Suns early Thursday morning.
Bridges and Johnson were the highlights of the Durant deal.
And they watched gleefully, often jumping out of their seats as the short-handed Nets upset a Chicago team with two stars available in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
General manager Sean Marks’ vision for the future of this team is clear, though it needs to be tested against far more formidable opponents than a dysfunctional Bulls team that mustered just 5-of-26 shooting from downtown as a team.
The Nets are going to be a team that plays fast, shoots a ton of 3s and defends for 48 minutes. Their newest additions all fit the bill.
Bridges is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate who can create his own shot. Johnson is a prototypical 3-and-D wing, as is Dorian Finney-Smith, who came to Brooklyn along with Spencer Dinwiddie as part of the Irving trade.
Dinwiddie remains a two-way playmaker, capable of guarding the point of attack, putting pressure on the rim, lighting it up from 3 and creating shots for his teammates. He finished with a team-high 25 points to go with six assists and five rebounds. Ben Simmons remains a defensive stopper, and Nic Claxton, who did not play due to right hamstring tightness, is another Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Brooklyn has a high defensive ceiling. Where the offense comes from could depend on the rotation.
The Nets played fun, they played free, and they shot 17 of 44 from downtown, led by Joe Harris, who shot 6 of 9 from deep on the night.
After three straight 40-point games, Cam Thomas shot 3 of 16 from the field and finished with 20 points.
LaVine finished with 38 points on 16-of-25 shooting from the field, but the Nets’ wing defenders stifled DeRozan, who shot 5 of 13 for 14 points.
Defense will be the calling card for the new-look Nets. They are now 2-2 in games without both Irving and Durant in the past week. Next, they have a true test: Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers come to town on Saturday.
