On Irving's birthday, he set a record for the highest nets player scored on his birthday. The best birthday gift New York gave to Irving was that he finally lifted the ban and will be able to play at home. For the Nets, their chances of winning the title are skyrocketing.
However, in this game, against the Grizzlies who lacked an absolute core of Morant, the Nets were difficult to save. That's not to say the Nets have been so bad, or that Durant and Irving weren't out of the way at key moments. Looking at the state of both teams, the overall strength of the Grizzlies has been grossly underestimated.
Durant and Irving's appearance allows the Nets to be adequately guaranteed on the offensive end, but they can't limit the Grizzlies, and the defense is useless. The Nets scored 32 points in the first quarter, but they were scored 40 points by their opponents, and behind the excellent offense, it was the struggle behind the score.
The Nets take the superstar singles, Durant and Irving's turns to attack, the two superstars' extreme singles, efficient and gorgeous scoring performances, people are jaw-dropping; while the Grizzlies are multi-point blossoming, team combat, perfect interior lineup, accurate outside projection, efficient and stable scoring methods, unconsciously, the Grizzlies always maintain a lead.
In the third quarter of the game, the Nets' offensive firepower went up to a higher level, Durant soared 14 points, 4 boards and 5 assists in a single quarter, and Irving also scored 11 points, they quickly erased the point difference, ready to stage a counterattack in the final quarter. With 42 points in a single quarter, the Nets are really unstoppable when the double stars storm. This is why they are only seventh in the East, but they are still regarded as the root cause of the championship team.
However, the trend in the final quarter did not go as the Nets expected. After a few minutes of fighting, Irving went off the field to rest. But it was at this time that the Grizzlies began to rain for three minutes. Clark threw a shot, Bane hit a three-pointer, Durant didn't hold back, and the Nets were blasted out of a 13-0 spree, trailing by 14 points at once. Although Irving has since played against the Grizzlies and barely managed to bite the point difference, the Nets could not defend their opponents and had no choice but to swallow the game.
Although the Grizzlies are young, they played extremely rationally and meticulously in the key moments of the final quarter, and they consumed 24 seconds with a steady score each time, and the Nets were completely trapped in the trap of chasing points. In the whole game, Durant bombed 35 points, 11 boards and 8 assists, Irving cut 43 points, 2 boards and 8 assists, and the Nets double starry sky cut 78 points, but it was difficult to save the game and swallow the loss.
Throughout the game, the Nets didn't make too many mistakes, but their defensive performance, their lineup depth, was really far worse than the Grizzlies. In the overall bench scoring comparison, the Grizzlies are 52-11, which is a net win of 41 points. Even if Durant Irving is strong, it is difficult to bridge such a gap. Even if the god of death comes and the gods descend, they can't change such a heavenly chasm.