by The Brooklyn Nets are looking to extend their streak to 13 games in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls.
Brooklyn’s current 12-game streak is showing no signs of slowing down with their best streak in the NBA this season and their last two wins against the San Antonio Spurs (139-103) and Charlotte Hornets (123-106). comes with a total margin of 53 points.
During that 12-game period, the Nets left space on the field as the best offensive team in the league. In fact, their score of 124.2 per 100 positions is 6.0 points better than the second-placed Portland Trail Blazers (118.2).
This difference is greater than the distance between the Trail Blazers and the 24th-placed Minnesota Timberwolves (112.9).
Their offensive firepower was fueled by the incredible and perhaps unsustainable efficiency of the All-NBA duo.
In the last 12 games, Kevin Durant has shot 59.2 percent from the field, well above his career-best 53.7 percent shooting in the 2016-17 and 2020-21 campaigns. Same story for Kyrie Irving, who leads the team with 29.3 points on a 54.3 percent shooting rate, both of them can easily set new career records.
The team’s all-time three-pointer record in one season was set by the 1996-97 Charlotte Hornets at 42.7 percent, while the Nets shot an unprecedented 44.2 percent in three-pointers in the process.
This couple, both in their 30s, and the Nets as a whole are going to have to go back to earth at some point unless they really break their own personal and franchise records.
But there is no sign that the Bulls will be a well-equipped team to stand in their way.
During the Nets’ winning streak, the Bulls had the third-worst defense in the NBA, conceding 119.2 points from 100 positions.
A large part of that was that they were unable to rebound and finish their defensive positions. They allow 16.8 second chance points per game – the second most – and also the worst offensive rebounding team in the league, taking only 21.9 percent of their own losses.
The Bulls were also the absolute worst team in the league at limiting three-pointers, allowing them to average 15.7 three-pointers per game with an efficiency of 38.6 percent.
But while the three-pointer is the Nets’ best friend and the Bulls’ worst enemy, it’s also the most volatile scoring method, with teams often falling back on average over an 82-game season.
That means the Nets won’t continue to shoot that well and the Bulls won’t keep firing from long range at this pace – and while it’s impossible to predict when things will start to shake in the opposite direction, it’s time for both teams. for change of wealth.
KEY PERFORMANCES
Brooklyn Nets – Kyrie Irving
While Durant is arguably the Nets’ best player, Irving is the X-factor and his strong plays often coincide with wins.
Irving shot 52.6 percent from the field and 43.7 percent from depth in the 18 wins he was a part of, while in his nine losses these numbers dropped to 44.9 percent from the field and 24.7 percent from the three-pointers.
Chicago Bulls – Zach Lavine
It’s a similar story for the Bulls, who rely on Zach Lavine to bring additional firepower to a team whose consistent center is DeMar DeRozan but lacking in three-point threats.
Over the course of the season, the Bulls are shooting just 10.6 three-pointers per game – the fourth-worst number in the league – but in Lavine’s 15 wins, they have scored 3.5 threes per game with a 46.1 percent red clip. . Compared to his 30.6 percent in 18 losses, compared to his 2.2 threes, that’s a huge difference.
KEY WAR – Who can control the paint?
It seems clear that whoever catches fire from long range is likely to win, but with so much variability associated with high-volume three-pointers, it may depend on the team that scores the baskets the easiest.
A diet of layups, dunks and free throws will always be the most sustainable form of offense, and the Nets are a team without real dimensions beyond starting center Nic Claxton.
If Bulls center Nikola Vucevic can impose his will on Claxton early and perhaps get him into foul trouble, that could force Ben Simmons to play long minutes as the Nets’ primary rim guard, which is not where he shines on defense.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Bulls have won three of their last four games with the Nets, including the latest game on November 1, which won 108-99 after keeping Irving on just four points.
