The Nets tried their best to complete the big reversal in the difficult situation of 12 people's absence, although they finally lost the game 93-100, the team's fighting spirit was still gratifying, and the performance of the losing draft David Duke was a blockbuster, becoming the biggest gain of the game.
This is Duke's fifth appearance this season, and it is also his third consecutive starter, as a failed draft, signed a two-way contract, it is rare to be able to play in a championship team with so many stars, and in the past few games, thanks to the Nets' inability to play, Duke was lucky to get the opportunity to play, and with the active fight to get Nash's trust.
In this game, Duke played a blue-collar role in the first three quarters of the game, actively fighting and tenacious defense, doing dirty work on the court, but in the fourth quarter, Duke suddenly broke out at the offensive end, scoring 16 points in a single quarter, and also grabbed 9 rebounds, almost leading the Nets to achieve a big reversal, but after he hit a key 3 points to help the Nets chase 93-93, the Magic better stabilized the situation and did not give the Nets a chance to turn the tables. Duke contributed 18 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals and blocks, including 8 offensive rebounds, which was eye-catching.
After the game, Duke set two milestones:
1. Grabbed 8 frontcourt rebounds in a single game, setting a record for a rookie's single-game frontcourt rebound this season;
2. He scored a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds in a single game, becoming the second player in The Nets' history to achieve two double-doubles in the first five games of his career after Derrick Coleman in the 1990-91 season, and he contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds in the previous game against the Raptors.
In the five games in which Duke got his chances, he averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks in 27.4 minutes per game, and his defensive performance was very good, the court was full of hard work, the rim protection performance was impressive, and he showed the potential to become a good defender. After the game, head coach Nash and veteran Mills were full of praise for the young player
Nash said: "He was outstanding in the second half, he was destructive on the defensive end, he was a rebounding killer. ”
And Mills said: "David Duke is a complete competitor, he has just started his career, his sense of competition is incredible, he is finding his role, he is proving how suitable he is for this team, his engine is always running, constantly playing well on the defensive end, he is a key player in our ability to win the last two games." ”
For a two-way contract player, to be able to get the opportunity and play such a performance is a joy for himself and for the team, if he can maintain a stable performance in future games, I believe he will soon be able to get a regular contract and officially get the opportunity to gain a foothold in the NBA, just like matthews of the Rockets, and for the Nets, signing a lost draft itself does not dare to have too many expectations of him, but from now on, they really have picked up the treasure.