Brooklyn Nets: D’Angelo Russell’s magical home debut

D’Angelo Russell gave Brooklyn Nets fans plenty to cheer about during his regular season home debut against the Orlando Magic.

Opening night for any home team in the NBA is always special as many of the hardcore season ticket holders get to see their favorite team hit the court for the first time. The abundance of new players and renewed spirit in the team always runs rampant in the minds of fans especially supporters of the Brooklyn Nets who are looking to excel to new heights this season.

The Nets went into their 2017-18 home opening night looking to rebound after a tough loss against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night and an even tougher loss in point guard Jeremy Lin to injury for the season. The team’s confidence definitely shaken after only game one of the regular season needed a boost from the home crowd Friday night at Barclay’s Center against the Orlando Magic.

D’Angelo Russell showed his strong offensive promise against Indiana scoring a team-high 30 points. He tied with Nate Archibald for the most by a Nets player in their debut in franchise history and looked to keep the momentum going playing his first regular season home game in front of the Brooklyn crowd.

Nets fans filed into the arena greeted with special opening night towels placed on every chair similar to a playoff game. This set the tone early along with the surprising national anthem performance from singer Justine Skye taking a knee towards the end of her performance in protest.

Brooklyn found themselves in a battle with Orlando all night as forward Nikola Vucevic hit six 3-pointers eventually finishing with a game-high 41 points and 12 rebounds. Russell, who struggled most of the night taking care of the basketball leading to eight turnovers, began making plays for the Nets hitting clutch shots late in the game. Russell finished the game with 17 points and 8 assists along with plenty of cheers from the crowd after a crossover dribble move that left Magic rookie Jonathan Issac on the floor.

Russell spoke to reporters after the game expressing his satisfaction with the loud Brooklyn crowd.

"“It felt great. The atmosphere was amazing, We’re a young group. Finishing games in this league is hard. Guys make shots when they have to. It’s where amazing happens. … Being better at finishing games with our group is going to be the biggest challenge for us.”"

The biggest issue from the loss to the Pacers on Wednesday dealt with Brooklyn’s inability to stop anyone on defense giving up 140 points. On Friday night, Brooklyn surrendered 121 points to Orlando but relied on timely defensive stops that helped to seal the 127-121 victory.

Nets forward Trevor Booker who sank the final two points of the game from the free-throw line reminded the press that this win was dedicated to the injured Lin.

"“As players, we didn’t bring [Lin’s injury] up. The coach [Kenny Atkinson] brought it up. Everybody knows it’s a tough loss for us,” said Booker, who added 11 boards off the bench. “We still have to go out and play, and we can dedicate this win to him. It’s a big win for us.”"

Next: HoopsHabit 2017-18 NBA playoff field predictions

Brooklyn returns to action Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Hawks as they try to keep the good vibes going at home this season.