How bout them Nets?
Welcome to the Morning Shootaround!
Did you stay awake long enough to watch the Nets beat the Bulls? Or were you good with the early game on ESPN — the Knicks handling their business at home against the Mavs?
It was a late night for New York hoops fans, but it was a good night. Two wins against good teams in front of a national audience.
As we all grab another coffee or an extra shot in the latte this morning, let’s catch up on the night that was for our teams.
What we’re watching
- CBB: Seton Hall @ DePaul — 5 PM ET
- NBA: Warriors @ Bucks — 7:30 PM ET
- NBA: Thunder @ Nets — 8:30 PM ET
- NHL: Devils @ Islanders — 7:30 PM ET
- NHL: Rangers @ Sharks — 10:30 PM ET
Blowing out the Bulls
Justin did a great job breaking down the Nets’ stunning win in Chicago, a game that started late enough that it required caffeine to watch a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview.
We stayed up. And we’re glad we did, because Kevin Durant’s third quarter was a clinic. He came out of the locker room at the end of the half, looked up and saw the Nets with only a two-point lead and said:
Barrett stays hot
RJ Barrett did the thing — again. He became the youngest player in Knicks history to drop back-to-back 30-point games in the Knicks’ home win against the Mavs.
Where there were concerns about his confidence earlier this season, it looks like he’s found his stroke. Which is a good thing for a Knicks team that has underwhelmed too frequently thus far.
We’re here for a Barrett mid-season renaissance.
.@RJBarrett6 had himself a night.
32 PTS | 7 REB | 2 AST pic.twitter.com/ziR3THs7oA
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 13, 2022
Still hurts
Sports Illustrated has a terrific excerpt from Chris Herring’s upcoming book on Thursday morning about a painful moment in Knicks history.
John Starks. Game 7. We won’t say more, but we do encourage you to read it. The book sounds great.
Inside John Starks’s nightmare Game 7 in 1994—and his coach’s curious decision to ride him https://t.co/kFbyAhJMtX pic.twitter.com/ggpzqye4Xk
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 13, 2022
No Joking around
Novak Djokovic is making the Australian Open into a full-blown clown show.
The world’s No. 1 player is now reportedly being investigated for conduct when entering Spain, he admitted to knowingly sitting for an interview while having COVID, and his draw for the Aussie Open — which was streamed on Netflix — was delayed 45 minutes on Thursday morning because they’re still sorting out his status for the tournament.
It’s hard to remember a player embarrassing the sport as much as Djokovic is to start 2022.
New:
After Novak Djokovic admitted to being knowingly coronavirus-positive during an in-person interview last month, here is a statement from the co-presidents of the International Tennis Writers Association to @CNN: pic.twitter.com/USl04mbTRd
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 12, 2022
Islanders’ issues
The Isles will host the Devils on Thursday night, and they’ll do it without head coach Barry Trotz or defenseman Ryan Pulock, both of whom were placed in COVID protocol on Wednesday.
It’s been a brutally bad season for the Islanders, who started it with legit Stanley Cup aspirations. Between COVID issues, injuries and overall mediocrity, it’s been impossible for them to right the ship. We’ll see if a rivalry game with the Devils gets them excited. Their opponent should be ready after a long layoff.
In the island, on the island, at the island, IT DOESN’T MATTER.
⏰: 7:30 PM
?: MSG+, @DevilsMSGN
?: Devils Hockey Network
?: https://t.co/ydtSBh9NO8 pic.twitter.com/ggh9n845M0— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 13, 2022