BROOKLYN, NY- Courtesy of excellent performances by power forward Cameron Johnson and center Nic Claxton, the Brooklyn Nets (45-36, 6th in East) crushed the Orlando Magic (34-47, 13th in East) 101-84 on Friday, April 7th, at the Barclays Center.
With the win, Brooklyn officially clinched the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, and will play the No. 3 seed Philadelphia 76ers (53-28, 3rd in East) in the first round of the playoffs. All told, the Nets and the 76ers will meet in Brooklyn for a meaningless regular-season finale before their playoff series is underway, marking their fifth straight playoff appearance.
“Now again, we have to come together, new system, new city, all of the other stuff, so it’s not going to be an easy task by any stretch and they have the probable MVP (Joel Embiid),” Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie said of the 76ers. ”So again, like I said, there’s an appropriate respect, give Philly their credit, but at the same time we do feel like we belong in that arena.”
Upon trading superstar point guard Kyrie Irving to Dallas on February 6th and superstar small forward Kevin Durant to Phoenix on February 9th, Brooklyn was 33-22 and 5th in the Eastern Conference, causing widespread doubts of a mid-season collapse. Behind the emergences of small forward Mikal Bridges, however, the Nets went 12-14 for the remainder of the season, a good enough record to edge the No. 7 seed Miami Heat (43-38, 7th in East) for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the East.
“This group just endured,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said. “I mean, we chose to be courageous over comfort many times and that’s hard to do in this league.”
Under the guidance of Irving and Durant early in the season, Brooklyn was among the best offensive teams, averaging 114.4 PPG as a team, the fifth-highest in the Eastern Conference. Once Brooklyn parted ways with Irving and Durant, their defense became the reason why the Nets are in the NBA playoffs once again. Over the past 26 games, Brooklyn has allowed just 111.8 OPPG, a noticeable improvement from their previous mark of 112.4 OPPG. Against Orlando, defense proved to be key, as the Nets held the Magic to a season-low 84 points on 31-87 (35.6%) shooting from the field and 7-38 (18.4%) from three-point range while committing 21 turnovers and 19 personal fouls.
Due to being eliminated from the 2o23 Play-In tournament by a 113-117 loss to Cleveland on Tuesday, the Magic had no intentions of winning on Friday, as shown by their decision to sit 2023 Rookie of the Year Award frontrunner Paolo Banchero, star center Wendell Carter Jr, and shooting guard Gary Harris. In spite of this, 2022 All-Rookie First Team selection Franz Wagner still suited up for the Magic, recording 12 points, five rebounds, and one steal in just 24 minutes.
With the absence of Harris, sixth-man Cole Anthony and 2022 No. 5 pick Jalen Suggs made their fourth and 18th starts of the 2022-2023 season, respectively. In 30 minutes, Anthony posted a respectable stat line of 14 points, nine rebounds, and six assists on 6-16 (37.5%) shooting, while Suggs added seven points and five rebounds in 19 minutes. As it turned out, starting center Goga Bitadze was Orlando’s best player on Friday, recording 12 points and 15 rebounds on 5-7 (71.4%) shooting in 25 minutes, all team-highs.
By holding the Magic to a season-low offensive output, Brooklyn’s struggles on offense didn’t prove to be lethal, although the Nets did shoot just 35-89 (39.3%) from the field and 9-42 (21.4%) from downtown. Fortunately, Bridges continued his excellent play, posting a game-high 22 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 37 minutes. Not to be outdone, Johnson pitched in 18 points, five rebounds, and four steals on 7-15 (46.6%) shooting in 32 minutes, while Claxton notched 14 points and 15 rebounds on 6-9 (66.7%) shooting, his 28th double-double of the season.
“When they broke that lead open, it was a lot of turnovers and a lot of fouls,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “So I think the more we can focus on being able to take care of the basketball and defend without fouling, those will continue to be our keys.”
Outside of Bridges, Johnson, and Claxton, Seth Curry was the only other Net to score in double-figures, with 13 points on 4-6 (66.7%) shooting from the field and 2-3 (66.7%) from downtown in 15 minutes. Regardless of a lackluster scoring output, Dinwiddie played a well-rounded game versus Orlando, consisting of 6 points, seven rebounds, and a season-high 14 assists. Similarly, small forward Royce O’ Neale provided five rebounds, three assists, and two steals alongside his six points off the bench.
As previously mentioned, Brooklyn will play Philadelphia in their regular-season finale on Sunday, April 9th, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time at the Barclays Center. Amid a three-game losing streak, the Magic will strive to end the 2022-2023 season off with a win, as they will play the Heat on Sunday, April 9th, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time in the latest edition of the Sunshine State Showdown. It will be Udonis Haslem’s final regular season game in Miami.