Nets ride Bridges to third straight win

Forward paying instant dividends since deadline deal

March 8, 2023 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Mikal Bridges and the Nets soared to their third straight victory Tuesday night in Houston in the opener of a five-game road trip. AP Photo by Eric Christian Smith

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Who needs two superstars when you have one Mikal Bridges?

While that may sound like blasphemy to some, Bridges continued to prove Tuesday night in Houston that he was the most important return chip in the trade deadline deals that sent Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant out of Brooklyn.

The wiry small forward poured in 30 points, handed out five assists, blocked two shots and picked up a steal en route to his latest virtuoso effort, spearheading the resurgent Nets to their third straight win, a 118-96 triumph over the Rockets in front of 14,833 fans at the Toyota Center.

Bridges, acquired from Phoenix in the Feb. 9 swap that sent Durant to a surefire NBA title contender, went 9-of-20 from the floor, buried four 3-pointers and hit all eight of his free-throw attempts.

“He is very unselfish,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said of the 6-foot-6, 205-pound Bridges.

“He gives up his time, his knowledge in the locker room, during the games. So it’s really been a joy to be around and learn him as an individual.”

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn embraces Mikal Bridges’ “unselfish” nature on the court since his acquisition from Phoenix on Feb. 9. AP Photo by Michael Dwyer

The Nets (37-28) have their longest run of success since reeling off a Brooklyn-best 12 games in a row earlier this year, when Irving and Durant were still in the fold.

Bridges’ third straight 30-point effort and fifth since coming to the Nets moved Brooklyn within a game of the fifth-place Knicks in the Eastern Conference playoff race. New York had its nine-game winning streak snapped by Charlotte at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Only the top six teams in the conference can clinch a berth in a first-round, best-of-7 playoff series while the No. 7-10 seeds must compete in a play-in tournament for the seventh and eighth seeds in the East.

Last season, the Nets grabbed the seventh spot by beating Cleveland in a play-in game, but lost four straight to eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston in the opening round.

After losing four in a row following the All-Star break, Brooklyn appeared headed for the play-in tournament at best.

But with Bridges leading the way, the Nets can hope for a better performance in the postseason than they put forth a year ago.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points, Nic Claxton had 18 and 13 rebounds and Joe Harris and Seth Curry added 12 points apiece for the Nets, who kicked off a five-game road trip by overcoming an early 11-point deficit.

Royce O’Neale added 11 points and 11 boards for Brooklyn, which appears to have found an identity since its dynamic duo split town to pursue titles elsewhere.

“We made an adjustment as far as just shrinking the floor more, putting more bodies in front of the basketball,” Vaughn said of the Nets, who used a 33-24 third quarter to pull away from Houston.

“So that was huge on our defensive end of the floor then that allows us to get out and run a little bit,” he added.

Jalen Green finished with 25 points for the Rockets (15-50), who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

“I was disappointed with the turnovers and with the assists frankly,” Houston head coach coach Stephen Silas said. “And some of our shot selection wasn’t great. We’ve got to do better.”

So do the Nets if they hope to remain in a postseason spot over these last 17 regular-season games.

They’ll continue that quest Thursday night at NBA-leading Milwaukee, which has won 18 of its last 19 games.

Nic Claxton survives throwing down a thunderous dunk in Houston Tuesday, helping Brooklyn to its third straight victory. AP Photo by Eric Christian Smith

NOTHING BUT NET: After visiting the Bucks Thursday, the Nets will be in Minnesota Friday, Denver on Sunday and Oklahoma City next Tuesday. … Brooklyn was without versatile swingman Ben Simmons (knee) for a seventh straight contest Tuesday. … Bridges is averaging 26.1 points during his first nine games as a Net.