The third-quarter Nets are back. Whether or not that’s a good thing remains to be seen.
After two sloppy and disappointing opening quarters against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, the Nets opened the floodgates en route to a 96-90 win in Detroit, their first matchup on a six-game road trip. The Nets (6-3) scored 39 points in the third quarter after scoring 39 points in the first half altogether, and held the Pistons (1-8) to just 23.
If only they brought that same intensity to the opening period. And if only they kept that intensity in the fourth.
The Pistons are not a good basketball team just yet. They are coming off selecting Cade Cunningham No. 1 overall in last year’s draft. They own the NBA’s worst record. Their best player, Jerami Grant, was the fourth option on his last team, the Denver Nuggets.
So it should have been quick work for a Nets team positioning themselves for a championship, regardless of Kyrie Irving’s availability.
But the Pistons are the same team Blake Griffin used to play for, the same team he neglected to dunk for (not in-game or in practice), and the same team he forced his way away from to join the Nets last season. The crowd booed Griffin at every turn. And the Pistons, particularly big man Isaiah Stewart, didn’t forget how Griffin ditched them.
So it was anything but quick work. The Pistons were doing all the little things. They played physical. They moved the ball. They forced turnovers and capitalized in transition.
The Nets built a 16-point third quarter lead that evaporated in the fourth quarter. With four minutes to go, the Pistons made it an 88-86 game.
The fourth quarter, however, was when Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge turned on the jets. Durant and Aldridge scored all of the Nets’ fourth-quarter points. Durant finished with 29 points on 12-of-27 shooting and hit shot after shot to create separation down the stretch. Aldridge came off the bench and scored 16 points, 12 on mid-range jump shots and four at the foul line.
The fourth quarter was also when the Stewart-Griffin beef reached its peak. The two got tangled up late in the fourth quarter when both hit the ground chasing a loose ball. Stewart got to his feet first and stood over Griffin, preventing him from getting up. Officials had to pry the Pistons big man from Griffin. If they didn’t, a fight may have ensued.
Both were assessed technical fouls, though Griffin, rightfully, complained a heavier penalty should have been levied against Stewart.
Griffin, though, had the last laugh: With five fouls, he drew a pivotal charge on Pistons wing Saddiq Bey. On the ensuing possession, he tapped out an offensive rebound that led to a Durant basket. Had he not grabbed that board, Detroit could have tied the game with a 3-pointer.
“That tip-out and that charge really won the game for us,” Durant said.
James Harden is getting his shooting groove back, but his carelessness with the ball continues to plague his team. Harden shot 3 of 5 from downtown and flirted with a dubious quadruple-double. He registered 13 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds — and nine turnovers. It’s hard to blame Harden’s hamstring for his decision-making, and the hamstring has taken the brunt of the blame for his struggles to start this season.
Friday’s result will register as a win on paper, and a gritty one at that, but the Nets struggled on the road against a far lesser opponent. It’s a long season, and the Nets have championship aspirations.
Aspirations they won’t realize if they only sit up for the third quarter.
