Ben Simmons has earned himself a lot of hate for the legacy he left in Philadelphia. Simmons is an amazing defensive player and playmaker, with a high basketball IQ who just couldn’t make it work in Philly. On Thursday night the Nets, Simmons’ new team, and the 76ers, his old team, were facing off against each other for the first time since the massive James Harden-Ben Simmons trade that rocked the NBA to its core.
Sadly, Simmons wasn’t able to suit u for this game, as he is still dealing with an injury that will mostly keep him sidelined for the next couple of weeks. Instead, it was his all-star teammates, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving that would need to shoulder the load for this contest; and boy did they ever. Surprisingly, another Nets player would stand out the most and put the dagger into his old team with his three-point shooting. Yes, I’m talking about Seth Curry.
The diamond-in-the-rough of the trade, Curry has balled out ever since arriving in Brooklyn and is quickly becoming a fan favorite due to his efficient shooting and floor-spacing techniques. The brother of Stephen Curry, it seems their family has three-point shooting genes that would make the gods blush.
Curry lit up the 76ers for 24 points, which was the second-best on the Nets entire squad Thursday night. Curry is a 44% three-point shooter, and he bested that mark on Thursday night, as he shot for 50% beyond the arc, going 4-8 from the three-point line. To add to his impressive stat-line, he also corraled 5 steals on the game. I don’t know why so many teams traded Seth Curry, but here’s to hoping he remains a permanent resident on the Brooklyn Nets roster.
How could we forget about Kevin Durant? Durant had himself the most complete game out of everybody on the Nets, as he went off for 25 points, 14 rebounds, as well as 7 assists. KD proved to everybody tonight why he is still the best player in the entire NBA. With a healthy Kevin Durant, I really don’t see how Brooklyn can be stopped heading forward, especially now that Kyrie has been finding his groove.
Fresh off a 50-point performance against the Charlotte Hornets, Kyrie came back Thursday night with another solid outing, this time dropping 22 points to help rout the 76ers. Kyrie is so dangerous with the ball in his hands, it’s hard not to consider the best point guard in the NBA when he’s healthy and playing at full capacity.
This Nets team really came through when their backs were against the wall, and they proved that even though they have slipped in the standings, they are a team to be feared. Our honorable mention performance of the night goes to Andre Drummond, who has enjoyed a career renaissance ever since he made his way to Brooklyn. This Brooklyn is trending upwards, and at the perfect time as well.