Daily NBA Fix: Nets Slow Down Kevin Durant’s Streak With Futility
By Phil Watson
Welcome to your Daily NBA Fix for Saturday, Feb. 1, the morning after the Oklahoma City Thunder extended their winning streak to 10 games but Kevin Durant’s run of consecutive 30-point games ended at 12.
Of course, the reason why Durant’s streak ended is as simple as the futility of the Brooklyn Nets, whom the Thunder thumped 120-95 Friday might. Durant didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter and finished with 26 points.
Along the way, the Nets set an NBA record for fewest rebounds in a game, finishing the night with 17 … 17 rebounds as a team. For some perspective on that, there have been 70 games this season in which an individual player has had 18 or more rebounds in a game, so for an entire roster to get just 17 … wow. DeAndre Jordan alone has had 18-plus rebounds in a game 11 times this season and considering rebounding is considered something of an “effort” stat, it’s safe to say the Nets didn’t show much.
Serge Ibaka also had a perfect game of sorts, going 12-for-12 from the floor for OKC—the most makes without a miss in a game since 2009.
Elsewhere around the Association, Stephen Curry (44) and Andrew Bogut (yes, I said, “Andrew Bogut”) combined for 60 points to lead the Warriors past the Jazz, Al Jefferson went off for 40 as the Bobcats beat the Lakers in L.A. and the Denver Nuggets lost to the Raptors at home for the first time since 2003 on the same day they learned Nate Robinson’s done for the year with a torn ACL.
Speaking of 2003, the Kings still haven’t won at Dallas since that year as the Mavs got 23 points in the fourth quarter from Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis to complete a comeback win, the Grizzlies beat the T-wolves in Minneapolis, but saw Mike Conley carried off with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter, the Sixers got smashed at home by the Hawks and Orlando found a team to beat—Milwaukee (of course), which at 8-38 has to start worrying about setting a franchise record for futility. The Bucks were 20-62 in 1993-94 and they are nowhere near a 20-win pace in 2013-14.
The Daily NBA Fix will deliver highlights, game capsules, the top and bottom five players, the dreaded Goose Egg, Clean and Sober and Ironman awards, we’ll recap who’s circling the drain, there will be some interesting pieces of relevant (and not-so-relevant) information and we’ll look at today’s daily lines for those people who like to wager a buck or two.
Check out the highlights below from the night that was, then get into the game capsules (home teams in CAPS).