CP3 Toys With Nets In Tough Loss For Brooklyn
The Nets are still trying to check off one of their bucket list goals this season after a setback in their latest game.
The Houston Rockets defeated the Brooklyn Nets 119-111 on Friday night at the Barclays Center to deny Brooklyn of consecutive wins.
Chris Paul finished the game with 32 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks for the slumping Rockets, who ended a four-game losing streak on Friday night.
Carmelo Anthony would light it up off the bench in his return to New York with 26 points while hitting six 3-pointers in 25 minutes of action.
‘CP3’ was a hard a check on the night for the Brooklyn Nets as he dominated at the Barclays Center on Friday night.
The all-world point guard picked up the slack with reigning NBA MVP James Harden missing his third consecutive game with a hamstring injury.
Kenny Atkinson’s team couldn’t miss in the first half as they shot 64.9 percent in the first half while hitting seven 3-pointers.
They held a 14-point second quarter edge after a Spencer Dinwiddie 3-pointer with a little over three minutes to go in the half, but saw Houston slice their deficit to five going into the locker room as it was a 61-56 halftime lead for Brooklyn.
The problem was their inability to stop dribble penetration from Paul, who wheeled and dealed his way around Nets defenders all night long.
The Rockets even without James Harden are a team that doesn’t need help from the opposing team. It’s why Brooklyn’s efforts in the paint defensively on the night were especially disappointing as Clint Capela scored 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting on mostly easy shots at the rim.
Caris LeVert started hot and finished as the Nets leading man with a team-high 25 points on the night.
Both teams shot 49 percent from the field while hitting 15 3-pointers each, with Brooklyn holding the edge in percentage with a 44 percent clip from beyond the arc compared to 38 for Houston.
The Houston Rockets made 22 of 32 free throw attempts while limiting Brooklyn to 20 free throw attempts.
It’s yet another frustrating defeat for the Nets, who fell to 3-5 on the season,
The Brooklyn Nets will host the Philadelphia 76ers at the Barclays Center on Sunday evening in their first of four matchups this season.
What are your takeaways from tonight’s game? Leave your comments below!