The Brooklyn Nets kick off week 1 of the 2023 NBA season with two close losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks. Despite being a defense-oriented team, the Nets struggled to contain All-Star players such as Donovan Mitchell and Luka Doncic from putting on scoring clinics on the Nets. They were able to fight hard against these two tough opponents, but unfortunately could not get it done.
The Nets opened up the season at home on Wednesday Oct. 25th ,where they faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They started off on the wrong foot in a 114-113 loss to the Cavaliers where the Cavaliers were able to score upon the Nets supposed defensive-built team, having multiple Cavaliers players in double-digit points in the box score. It was a close game throughout most of the quarters, with the Cavaliers holding onto a small lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Led by Mikal Bridges, he was able to lead the Nets to a 14-5 scoring run in the fourth quarter to lead by six points. However, the Nets did not have enough in them to stop the Cavaliers offensive onslaught as Mitchell was able to hit a 21-foot 3-pointer, a dunk and another 3-pointer in the final two minutes to give the Cavaliers the one point win over the Nets. They attempted to garner a game winner of their own in the final seconds, but Cam Thomas missed the game-winning 3-pointer.
36 points, the most for a player off the bench in a season-opening game in NBA history.@24_camthomas 👏 pic.twitter.com/22oKnJkcnE
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 26, 2023
Battled. pic.twitter.com/f9I0g4TmpP
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 26, 2023
For the Nets, Thomas had the most points with 36 off the bench, with Mikal Bridges behind him in the box score with 20 points and six assists. Ben Simmons had a good outing on the box score while only scoring four points, he also had 10 rebounds and nine assists. Cam Johnson had 12 points and five rebounds, and both Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Smith Jr had 10 points each off the bench.
On the Cavaliers, Mitchell had 27 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals, Max Strus had a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Isaac Okoro had 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Darius Garland had 15 points, five assists and two steals, while Evan Mobley had 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Off the bench, Caris LeVert had 10 points and five assists.
The Nets looked to bounce back in the next game against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday but took another close game loss, losing 125-120. It was the first matchup between the two teams since the trade for Kyrie Irving back in the 2023 trade deadline where the Mavericks landed with Irving while the Nets had Spencer Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith. Similar to the Cavaliers game, it was a tightly close scoring game, with neither team grabbing a large lead.
Also similar to the Cavaliers game, the Nets could not get many stops against the opposing team’s star player. This case being Doncic. They had a hard time containing Doncic, especially in the fourth quarter, who had a stellar performance and made some difficult shots against the Nets. Doncic put on a 3-point clinic in the fourth quarter where he scored the last four field goals all on 3-pointers to help grab the win for the Mavericks.
28 and counting 👀 pic.twitter.com/UpC4cCW4RR
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 28, 2023
Final from Dallas. pic.twitter.com/xL3vsFofka
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 28, 2023
For the Nets, Thomas was the starting shooting guard where he had the most points with 30, along with seven rebounds, while Dinwiddie had 23 points and eight assists. Bridges had 19 points, while Finney-Smith had 12 points and seven rebounds. Simmons had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with eight assists and two steals. Off the bench, Lonnie Walker IV had 14 points, and Royce O’Neale had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
On the Mavericks, Doncic had a double-double with 49 points and 10 rebounds, along with seven assists. Irving had 17 points, seven rebounds and 6 assists. Off the bench, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 19 points, Dwight Powell had 11 points and Josh Green had seven points and three steals.
Just like in the preseason, it’s clear that the Nets are missing a superstar caliber piece on their team. On a positive note, the Nets have been able to stay afloat against these top tier teams like the Mavericks and the Cavaliers. The team has a good core around itself and that they are able to stand a chance against top teams in the NBA. However, the Nets are clearly lacking a true offensive weapon that isn’t named Mikal Bridges. Whether or not the Nets try to make some moves for a superstar remains to be seen and is highly dependent on the their record and their goals for this season.
