Unfortunately, Nets fans, there’s some trouble in…Brooklyn. Nets G Kyrie Irving went down and had to leave in the second quarter of Game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday with a sprained ankle. He has now officially been ruled out for Game 5 on Tuesday and Head Coach Steve Nash doesn’t know if he’ll play again this series.
This game is the definition of pivotal, due to the Nets winning the first two in this series in dominant fashion, then dropping the last two in embarrassing fashion. Quite frankly, in games 3-4 the Bucks just played way harder than the Nets did. Brooklyn looked like they didn’t have any desire to match the Bucks’ physicality.
This physicality was led by P.J. Tucker by the way, who has been key for the Bucks’ game plan of taking Kevin Durant out of the game, the one and only healthy member left of the big 3 for the Nets.
In Game 4 Durant shot 36% FG (9/25) and 12.5% 3FG (1/8). He also had a +/- of -23.
It’s not just Durant’s fault though. The Nets in games 1-2 compared to the Nets in games 3-4 have been night and day. In games 1-2 the Nets averaged 120 PPG, 44.5 RPG, 26 APG, 49.5% FG and 44.2% 3FG. In games 3-4 the Nets averaged 89.5 PPG, 46.5 RPG, 17.5 APG, 39.8% FG and 27.6% 3FG.
Not to mention the one x-factor that just simply hasn’t been showing up in these last two games is Joe Harris, one of the league’s best shooters.
In games 3-4 Harris has a total of 11 points. In Game 3 he was 1/11 from the field and 1/7 from deep. In Game 4 he was 3/8 from the field and 2/6 from deep. This can’t happen if the Nets want to win, knowing that KD is the only healthy member of their big 3.
So, now that you add Kyrie being out to James Harden still being out with his injured hamstring, it’s looking scary for Brooklyn who many thought would sweep Milwaukee after the way the first two games of this series went.
Will they be able to get this much needed Game 5 victory? Tune in Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
