a 5 pack from @LukeKennard5 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
The short handed Memphis Grizzlies came into New York and shocked the Brooklyn Nets, defeating them 106-102 at Barclays Center behind a huge Luke Kennard performance.
While both of these teams have been underwhelming this season, it’s due to different reasons. Memphis has dealt with injuries all season long, as their core has missed majority of the season.
Brooklyn, on the other hand, has just underperformed this year. Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson has taken a step back and Ben Simmons can’t seem to stay healthy. Cam Thomas has improved as a scorer but unfortunately that hasn’t led to an increase in wins.
With no Ja, Bane, or JJJ, Luke Kennard stepped up and led the team with 25 points on 73% shooting, making 6/9 three pointers. Jake LaRavia recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench while Vince Williams Jr. had 11 points. Santi Aldama scored 12 points in his 32 minutes.
For the Nets, Nic Claxton scored 21 points on 80% shooting while Cam Johnson had 18 points. Mikal Bridges struggled, recording just 14 points on 28% shooting. Dennis Schroder recorded 13 points and 9 assists while Lonnie Walker finished with 13 points off the bench.
This win improved the Grizzlies to 21-41 on the season, remaining at 13th in the West. Memphis will get the opportunity to add a lottery pick to their young, promising core or use the pick in a trade for another star talent, so this “throw away season” may be a blessing in disguise. They are 3-7 over their last 10 games and will face off against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, this loss drops the Nets to 24-37, keeping them at 11th in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn sits just 2.5 games out of the play-in race, so they can still jump up if they play winning basketball in the last month of the season. They are 4-6 over their last 10 games and will play against the 76ers tomorrow.
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