Brooklyn Nets snap 11-game losing streak with 109-85 win over Kings

The Brooklyn Nets were able to snap an extended losing streak with the help of some new faces. 

Before Monday night’s 109-85 victory over the Sacramento Kings, the Brooklyn Nets were on an 11-game losing streak and had not won a game since January 21, on the road vs San Antonio.

The Nets were able to get that 30th win that was staring them in the face for almost a month. New additions to the team like Seth Curry and Andre Drummond helped get the job done.

The true test of the team, however, will come when we see Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Ben Simmons all on the floor, along with Curry and Drummond.

Nets fans should be thankful for the Simmons and Harden trade. They got rid of someone who didn’t want to be on the team anymore and received three players who are happy to be in Brooklyn and are on a team that values them highly. Two more games remain until the All-Star break. The Nets will look to get back on track after the break when Kevin Durant will make his return at some point.

In his Brooklyn Nets debut, Curry was the leading scorer on the team dropping 23 points on 3-8 shooting from deep. He also racked up seven rebounds and five assists in the game. The 31-year-old shoots around 40 percent from the 3-point line in his career and his stellar shooting and playmaking will benefit the team come playoff time. Curry said he enjoyed his first game with the Nets.

"“It felt great. We play a fun style of basketball here. We get up and down. For a team that lost what, ten or eleven in a row, the energy was great from the moment we got here.”"

Another new piece to the Nets who had a nice debut was Drummond. One rebound shy of a double-double, Drummond ended the game with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block. It was a very solid first game for the big man. He is a bully on the boards and the Nets are really going to benefit from his playstyle and intensity.

Being eight years younger than LaMarcus Aldridge, there’s an energy and quickness that Drummond can offer that LMA simply can’t at this point in his career. He can be a key piece on Brooklyn’s roster for years to come.

New faces helped get the job done Monday night but some familiar faces made their presence felt as well. Bruce Brown stuffed the stat sheet last night and had a major impact on the game. He racked up 19 points, six rebounds, six assists, five steals, and three blocks. Brown had his handprints all over the game yesterday and helped elevate the Nets to a much-needed win.

The 36-year-old Aldridge came off the bench and scored 19 points in 19 minutes played. Adding to his stat line, he had eight rebounds, one block, and went 3-3 from the free-throw line. Also continuing to get better every game, rookie Cam Thomas enjoyed a solid game overall. Coming off the bench as well Thomas scored 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Trading Ben Simmons for James Harden was the move that needed to be made. Reports about conflicting opinions on how the offense should be run may have been what sent Harden packing.

One report said that “Harden would roll his eyes when an after-timeout play was designed for Durant.” 

Harden was not the coach of the team and he clearly didn’t like the way Steve Nash was running things. Maybe Doc Rivers can run some plays for Harden so he doesn’t have another meltdown and asked to be traded once again.