New coach Ollie grabs first NBA win

Brooklyn ends four-game slide with 111-86 rout in Memphis

February 27, 2024 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Nets interim coach Kevin Ollie finally had something to celebrate with his players Monday night in Memphis. AP Photo by Chris Young

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The Nets left their blues in Memphis.

And picked up interim head coach Kevin Ollie’s first career win at the helm.

“They got me good. All my other coaches left me out to dry,” a thoroughly soaked Ollie jabbed after receiving a celebratory dousing by his elated and relieved players following Monday night’s 111-86 victory over the Grizzlies in front of 15,417 fans at the FedExForum in Memphis.

“They stayed in the back. I should have known something then,” Ollie added after ending a personal two-game losing streak since replacing fired coach Jacque Vaughn following the All-Star break.

Brooklyn (22-35) had lost seven of eight overall and four in a row, including back-to-back defeats to league-best Boston before the break that ultimately spelled doom for Vaughn.

Ollie rode a balanced offensive attack and tenacious defense to win No. 1 as all five Nets starters scored in double figures and Brooklyn gave up its lowest point total of the season after managing the same amount in Saturday’s loss at Western Conference-leading Minnesota.

“It was just how we played, especially defensively,” said reserve guard Lonnie Walker IV after putting up 13 points.

“Each game we have picked it up,” he added. “We have taken it to another level. This game especially.”

Dennis Schroder scored a team-high 18 points, Cam Thomas added 14 before leaving with an apparent ankle injury, Dorian Finney-Smith had 13 and Cam Johnson finished with 12 off the bench for the Nets (22-35), who will wrap up their five-game road trip Tuesday night in Orlando.

Perhaps eager to get Ollie off the schneid, the Nets took it to the Grizzlies (20-38) from the jump, running out to a 30-18 lead after 12 minutes and opening a 66-40 cushion at intermission.

Lamar Stevens scored 17 points for Memphis, which has lost 11 of 13 since a three-game winning streak in late January.

“I just think it was a lack of energy,” Stevens told the Associated Press.

“It’s kind of disappointing because that’s something you can control. I think night in and night out that’s something we should focus on, controlling what we can control.”

Mikal Bridges, the Nets’ leading scorer, was limited to 11 points and Nic Claxton added 10 on 5-of-5 shooting for Brooklyn, which pulled back within three games of 10th-place Atlanta (25-32) for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.

After visiting the Magic (32-26), the Nets will kick off a four-game homestand at Barclays Center by hosting the Hawks for a two-game series that could help them jump back into the postseason hunt.

Lonnie Walker IV and the Nets bullied their way through the struggling Grizzlies Monday to earn Kevin Ollie his first career NBA coaching win. AP Photo by Brandon Dill

Though one victory hardly qualifies as a jump start for a playoff push, the Nets have to believe they have better days ahead, especially after giving Ollie his first win in the birthplace of the blues.

“We’re improving. We’re getting better. We’re playing better,” Walker insisted.

***

As reported in last week’s Eagle, the New York Liberty have brought back reigning WNBA Most Valuable Player Breanna Stewart for the much-anticipated 2024 campaign.

With Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney and Courtney Vandersloot back for another try at the franchise’s first-ever title, there was no way the Liberty could justify running it back without Stewart.

“It’s a monumental day in New York as we are thrilled to welcome back the MVP, Breanna Stewart,” New York general manager Jonathan Kolb said of the 29-year-old power forward.

“Stewie’s return marks our unwavering commitment to excellence and our collective drive to bring a championship to New York.”

The Liberty fell just shy of achieving the feat last year, riding the most wins in team history into the WNBA Finals against Las Vegas.

Reigning WNBA Most Valuable Player Breanna Stewart will be back in Brooklyn next season to help the Liberty chase their first championship. AP Photo by John Locher

Though the Aces eked by them in four tough games to grab the league’s first back-to-back championships in two decades, New York remained steadfast in its pursuit of the crown this offseason by re-signing Jones and Stewart.

Stewart, a two-time MVP, was instrumental in guiding the Liberty back to the Finals for the first time since 2002.

She averaged 23.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists during her first campaign in Brooklyn.

The two-time Finals MVP as a member of the Seattle Storm inked a one-year pact after receiving a franchise tag from the Liberty.

She and her teammates will get a chance to shake off their loss to the Aces beginning May 14 when New York opens the season in Washington.

“This isn’t the goal that we had at the start of the season. We didn’t want to just get to the Finals,” Stewart lamented after the Liberty’s Game 4 loss to Vegas at Barclays Center last October.

“We weren’t content with being one game away from winning the whole thing. But we wanted to win, and really just building off of that and not forgetting what it feels like to be here.”

The Liberty will open their home slate here on May 18 vs. Indiana.

That’s when Brooklyn fans will once again be able to serenade Stewart with their “M-V-P!” chants.