Zach LaVine produced a fourth-quarter scoring blitz because the Chicago Bulls piled on the distress for the crisis-hit Brooklyn Nets with a 108-99 win on Tuesday.
A tumultuous day that started with Brooklyn’s sacking of head coach Steve Nash ended with the Nets blowing a 12-point third-quarter lead as Chicago surged to victory on the Barclays Center.
Interim coach Jacque Vaughn took over on the sidelines for the Nets, however might solely watch in dismay as Brooklyn wilted within the fourth quarter as soon as once more.
Chicago outscored the Nets 31-19 within the fourth quarter, with LaVine raining down 20 factors within the remaining body to complete with 29 factors, together with 5 assists and 4 rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan offered offensive help with 20 factors whereas Goran Dragic added 15 and Patrick Williams 12. Ayo Dosunmu added 17 factors from the bench.
The Nets in the meantime noticed Kevin Durant tally 32 factors with 9 rebounds and 6 assists whereas Royce O’Neale chipped in with 20 factors. Yuta Watanabe and Nic Claxton added 10 factors apiece.
Kyrie Irving had a irritating night time for Brooklyn, ending with 4 factors after capturing simply 2-of-12 from the sector.
Durant admitted afterward that Nash’s abrupt dismissal earlier Tuesday had been on his thoughts within the hours earlier than the sport, revealing that he had first realized of it on tv.
“I woke up from my nap and turned to my right and saw it on ESPN,” Durant stated. “I used to be shocked. You’re at all times shocked when a transfer like this occurs, but it surely’s regular within the NBA.
“So you just get ready for the game. It’s a quick turnaround in the league so you can’t think too much about it – but it was on my mind for a little bit today.”
I favored Steve
Durant – who requested a commerce from Brooklyn within the offseason earlier than later issuing an ultimatum to exchange Nash or let him go – insisted he had a very good relationship with the dismissed coach.
“I liked working with Steve, I liked the coaching staff,” Durant stated.
“It was a curler coaster previous few years however the core of it – the basketball – is one thing all of us beloved to do. I loved coming to work with Steve.
“We didn’t have a healthy team, and we didn’t play well. That’s what happens in the league. It doesn’t take away from Steve’s basketball IQ, or how he teaches the game. It just didn’t work out.”
Brooklyn fell to 2-6 with the defeat and are languishing close to the foot of the Eastern Conference whereas Chicago improved to 4-4, snapping a two-game dropping streak.
In different video games on Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors slumped to a 3rd straight loss with a 116-109 defeat to the Miami Heat in Florida.
A back-and-forth sport noticed 9 lead adjustments earlier than Miami lastly pulled clear within the closing phases of the fourth quarter to assert a win that leaves the NBA champion Warriors at 3-5 for the season.
Max Strus led the Miami scoring with 24 factors whereas Jimmy Butler added 23 with six rebounds and eight assists.
Stephen Curry had a triple-double for the Warriors, with 23 factors, 13 rebounds and 13 assists but it surely was not sufficient to tug Golden State over the road.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr took positives from his staff’s efficiency regardless of the loss.
“I thought we played well enough to win but we didn’t close it out,” Kerr stated. “I give Miami credit score, they stifled us within the final 5 minutes. We knew they have been going to be aggressive, and we obtained their greatest punch in that fourth quarter.
“We just couldn’t close the deal.”
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the Phoenix Suns notched their fifth straight victory with a 116-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Arizona, due to 29 factors from Cameron Johnson.
