The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 127-88. The Nets absolutely blew out Dallas tonight. They led as much as 44 points and outscored the Mavs by 8+ points in every single quarter. Brooklyn was clearly frustrated as they had lost 3 games in a row coming into this one, including a 29 point loss to the Heat on Saturday night. The Nets were pissed off, and they took all of their anger out on Dallas. The Nets came out hot, outscoring the Mavs 31-21 in the first quarter. More of the same continued in the second quarter, as Brooklyn outscored the Mavs 34-26 in the second to take an 18 point lead into halftime. The Nets did not letup after halftime, as once again the outscored the Mavericks 34-26 in the third quarter. Even after the game was already a blowout, the Nets finished strong by outscoring the Mavs 28-15 in the 4th. The Nets needed this game to get their confidence back, and everyone is now feeling comfortable after seeing shot after shot go in. Brooklyn has 3 more crucial games against the Cavs, Hawks, and Pistons before their grueling 7 game West Coast road trip. Brooklyn needs to win at least 2/3 to be in good position before the trip.

DeMarre Carroll led the Nets in scoring tonight with 22 points on 7-9 shooting. Carroll had a rough few weeks in February, but has bounced back very strongly these past few games. Carroll is an integral part of the Nets bench, and can be a serious weapon when he hits his three’s like tonight (5-7 from deep). Rodions Kurucs also had one of his best games of his rookie season, finishing with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Kurcus returned to the starting lineup to shoot 7-12 from the field and 5-7 from three. Kurucs should definitely keep that starting spot over Treveon Graham. The three headed guard trio of D’Angelo Russell (13 points and 11 assists) Spencer Dinwiddie (16 points and 5 assists) and Caris LeVert (18 points and 5 assist) played very well tonight. LeVert returned to the bench for the first time in a while, and it worked out great. Dinwiddie and LeVert seemed to have more chemistry than LeVert and Russell did. Russell dominated the starting group as he usually does, and Dinwiddie and LeVert both stepped up for the second group. I fully expect Kenny Atkinson to keep this same style of rotation for Wednesday and Friday’s games.

Dallas was led by the duo of Dwight Powell and Luka Doncic. Powell led the Mavericks in scoring tonight, finishing with 20 points 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Powell was very effective from deep, finishing 5-6 on his three point attempts. Likely Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic had another good performance, finishing with 16 points and 6 rebounds. This was not one of Doncic’s best games, but Nets fans can all agree that Doncic will be a problem in the NBA for years to come. Lastly, although he had a very quiet night (4 points and 4 rebounds on 2-13 shooting) Dirk Nowitzki had one of the coolest moments of the night in what might be his final game in Brooklyn. The Barclays Center crowd erupted when Nowitzki scored his first points of the game with just over 3 minutes to play. Dirk hit a mid ranger and then his signature fade-away shot, and the fans went crazy. Dirk is an NBA legend and a future Hall of Famer, so it’s always awesome to watch him play no matter the results.

What’s Next?

Brooklyn remains home to face the Cavs on Wednesday, while the Mavs travel to DC to play the Wizards on Wednesday.

#WeGoHard