Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Demin DOMINATE for Brooklyn Nets in UPSET win over Celtics

Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Demin DOMINATE for Brooklyn Nets in UPSET win over Celtics

On today’s show, Michael Porter Jr., Jagor Deman, and Nick Claxton lead the Nets to a thrilling upset victory in Boston. I’ll offer my top takeaways from Brooklyn’s top performance of the season right now. You are Locked on Nets, your daily Brooklyn Nets podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Welcome in to Locked on Nets right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network. It’s your team, the Brooklyn Nets, every single day. I’m Eric Slater, Brooklyn Netbe reporter for clutchoints.com. Thank you for making me your first listen of the day. This show is 100% free on all those great platforms. And on today’s episode, I’m going to be recapping the Nets 113 105 win over the Celtics at TD Garden on Friday night. And this was bar none the Net’s best performance of the season. They outplayed this Celtics squad for the vast majority of the game. And this has been a theme over the Net’s last four games. They’re two-played brand of basketball of late. And I’ll talk about what that could mean, tank implications, all that when I close out the show. But right now, just want to focus on a win because even though this is a tanking season, this is a game where the Nets played a really complete game for the first time this season. Really played a complimentary basketball game against a decent to formidable opponent. And it really was fun to watch. I mean, they got contributions across the board in this one. But I’m going to have to start with Michael Porter Jr. who played an absolute stellar game tonight and continues to play at an elite level. But a little background on this game. The Nets were up marginally in the beginning. It was a little back and forth, but then Jaylen Brown picked up his fifth foul with about five or six minutes left in the third quarter, which was huge. And then from that point on, the Nets close the third quarter on a 21 to9 run to take a 15-point lead entering the fourth quarter. And then the Celtics, they start to come roaring back in the beginning of the fourth. Jaylen Brown comes back in the game. They get it even closer. And it seems like this is going to be a repeat of the Nets last game against the Celtics where they were leading, they were playing well, and then they completely collapsed and went ice cold in the fourth quarter. And then Michael Porter Jr. happened. I cannot remember the last time I saw a Nets player flip the switch and take over a game like MPJ did in this one. MPJ in the fourth quarter of this one. He checked in with seven or eight minutes left and from that point on 16 points on seven of eight shooting in the fourth quarter and was just ice cold dagger after dagger after dagger into the hearts of this Celtics team trying to make a comeback. I mean these were not easy shots. Like we all know that MPJ is a tough shot maker. But in the fourth quarter of this one, the Celtics were playing good defense and Michael Porter Jr. was getting wherever he wanted. He was scoring in a variety of ways. like it wasn’t just the top threes. There was some of that, but he was getting into the mid-range, drawing fouls, finishing. He was bullying his way on drives to the rim and opening it up and just scoring at the cup. And he said after the game, you know, Megan Triplet, you know, friend of the pod and Yes network sideline reporter asked him what was the difference in this one. He said he didn’t like how they went out in the fourth quarter of that last loss, the way they collapsed. And he said, “We’re not going out sad in this one.” That was the thought process. And he just took over. And I actually heard the broadcast. I think m uh Jordy Fernandez, you know, right before MPJ checked in in the fourth quarter, he said, “Just pretend the Celtics pretend they’re all WNBA players and MPJ, he he took care of business from that point on.” No, obviously I’m kidding. But for the game, MPJ, you look at this one, his numbers, just continues to play elite basketball. 33 points, eight rebounds, two assists, 13 of 21 from the field, four of six from three. I mean, over the last nine games, MBJ is at 27 points, nine rebounds, three assists on 48, 36, 87 shooting splits. And I know that the Nets have lost the vast majority of those games, but they look more competitive as of late. And I can say that Michael Porter Jr. is playing at an all-star level right now. He’s not going to get an all-star not. I mean, maybe if he continued playing like this, he’d be in the conversation, but most likely not because the Nets are just not a competitive team on a lot of nights. but he is playing at an all-star level and he is, you know, he is just taking over and the way that he did in this game, it really was a beauty to watch the things that he did offensively and the efficiency and the various ways that he did that. But during that fourth quarter run, I also want to shout out Jorman, who I’m going to do a whole segment on, my second segment talking about him. He played the best game of his season and the best game of his Nets career thus far tonight. But the Nets were make uh the Celtics, excuse me, were making that fourth quarter run and they cut the lead to two with five minutes remaining. And Jaor had a really good first half. He had been quiet for the whole second half. Jordi Fernandez finally rolled with him. And after the Celtics cut that lead to two with five minutes remaining, Jieor Domen comes down the court. He see he sees some uh daylight in front of him with a defender. He pulls up and he drains a huge three from the left wing. Biggest shot of the game. It took it from two to five. And from that point on, Michael Porter Jr. just took over from there. But but Jagor Gman showing some stones in this one and hitting a really big shot. And we’ve seen this from Jagor, like he’s had his second half struggles. Jordy Fernandez has benched him in numerous games in the second half, but we saw it in that Cavs game. We saw another shot in the Magic game, and we’re seeing it in this one. Is seeming like he’s got a little bit of a proclivity for hitting some big shots in these fourth quarters. And that is nice to see from a 19-year-old, a rookie. But it wasn’t just MPJ. It wasn’t just Jagor. The Nets really got contributions across the board from the whole team. I’m going to talk about more guys in depth, but you know, in addition to MP MPJ and Jagor, you got Nick Claxton, first triple double of his career. I’m going to talk about that in a length. Noah Clowney continues to look much better offensively and did show some really nice defensive flashes on the lowman rotation to this one. Drake Pal, he contributed. Tyrese Martin had some big buggets. It was just an all-around performance. And the defense for the Nets looks much improved. If you talk about what is the difference over these last four games in allowing the Nets to compete, it is the defensive improvement because the Nets offense has actually been better than expected for most of the year. That doesn’t mean it’s good. It just hasn’t been like the worst in the league as we expected it to with all these rookie ball handlers. It’s looked like bad instead of atrocious. But their defense was really the biggest inhibitor to competing. And you look at these last four games, Nets are in the middle of the pack in offensive and defensive rating. that defensive rating has gone way up. I think the Nets over the last four games they’re at around a 114 defensive rating and then tonight they hold the they hold the Celtics to 105 points in this one. Over the first 11 games before these last four, the Nets had a 126 defensive rating. So, it’s just continued to trend in the right direction. I mean, you look at, you know, since Cam Thomas went out of the lineup, it got a little bit better. And then over these last four games, it’s gotten a lot better. And it’s looked like this defense is going to give them the ability to compete on a lot of nights. And I’ve said on those nights where this defense gives them the ability to compete, the question is going to be, can they close out a game? Do they have a closer? You look at that Magic loss, they did not have a closer. They missed their final five shots in the last two minutes. They let Orlando close on an 110 run. You look at the last loss against the Celtics. They were up by one with nine minutes remaining. They did not have a closer. They ended up shooting abysmal from the from the field in the fourth quarter with like two assists and seven turnovers. And you look in this one, they had the closer and that was the difference. And it was a huge shot from Jorgman. And it was also play after play after play, bucket after bucket after bucket for Michael Porter Jr., a player who’s just looking like an absolute steal for this Nets team. I did an episode on that trade, recapping it with Lucas Kaplan. Go check that out from a couple of days ago. But I said I viewed that trade as a win because of the 2032 first round pick the Nets got from the Nuggets, which was unprotected. best asset. I thought the Nets were going to get in a CJ trade, but I said this could turn it, this trade could turn into a massive win if MBJ continues to play at a high level. And the two games that he’s played since I said that have been stellar and he’s just continued to look like honestly like one of the most efficient offensive players in the league, wall post and careerhigh usage. So, great stuff with him. But I want to get at length into Jory, who played the best game of his career in this one. and the arrow just continues to point up on his, you know, trend line and development since becoming a starter for this Nets team. So, what did I like from him? I’ll get into that when I continue locked on Nets after a quick break. Guys, let’s talk about something every business owner knows too well. Missed calls. When a customer tries to reach you and you can’t get through, that’s money slipping away. Quo, spelled quo, is the smarter way to run your business communications so you never miss an opportunity. Guys, Quo is the number one business phone system built for 2025, not 1995. It’s simple, modern, and designed to help you communicate faster, look more professional, and stay connected wherever you’re working. Guys, I love that quote. Works right from an app on your phone or computer. No extra devices, no clunky landlines. Your whole team can share one number and collaborate on calls and texts, like a shared inbox, which means customers get help faster. And the built-in AI agent is a gamecher. It logs your calls, writes summaries, and even sets up follow-ups automatically. So try QuoFree at quo.com/lockdownba. That’s qo.com/lockdown NBA. And yes, you can even keep your existing number. Quo, no missed calls, no missed customers. The NBA season is heating up and Door Dash has found the perfect way to keep fans in their bag all season long. Whether you’re watching for the highlights, your fantasy team, or just your favorite player, Door Dash makes every game night even better. Door Dash is the official on demand delivery platform of the NBA. And they’re celebrating with something called the bag drop. Every time an NBA player scores 50 points in a game, Door Dash drops 50% off your order with Dash Pass the next day. And then you’re automatically entered for a chance to win the ultimate fan bag. We’re talking player inspired drip, exclusive gear, and stuff you’ll actually want. So, Door Dash has you covered for late night highlights, last minute watch parties, and double OT fuelups. So, next time someone goes off for 50, use promo code NBA 50 the next day to get 50% off on Door Dash with Dash Pass, plus your shot at the backdrop. Dash Pass members only. 50% off up to $10 a day after a 50point game with promo code. Terms apply. No purchase necessary. Ends April 13th. Open to US residents 21 or older. Visit door dashinyourbag.com for full details. Door Dash in your bag all season long. Coming back from the break, continuing today’s locked on Nets episode, reacting to Brooklyn’s upset win over the Celtics at TD Garden. And I got to hit on Jagor Deman and show Yaore some love because it’s been an up and down start to the season for Jaor. He’s obviously had a lot of critics from the moment that the Nets took him with that number eight pick. You know, he was labeled biggest biggest reach in the draft, all that stuff. A lot of Nets fans have been really concerned and there have been like rightful concerns, but I’ve been overall very pleased and impressed. And honestly, Jaor is ahead of where I thought he was going to be in terms of what he’s putting on the floor, especially since these last what is whatever it is, seven or eight games since he’s entered the starting lineup. He looks good. There’s some ugly moments, but you’re seeing the flashes and you’re seeing the vision. And you look at this one, you know, Jagor in the first half of this one, he was playing pretty elite basketball. He was at nine points, five rebounds, five assists, four of eight from the field, zero turnovers in the first half of this one. And then he was relatively quiet in the second half, but he did hit that massive three, which I think is the biggest shot of the game in this one after the Celtics had cut it to two with five minutes remaining. So Jaggor finishes with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists, five to 10 from the field, two of four from three. He was a plus nine for the night. And the biggest thing in this game, aside from that clutch shot, which was huge, was Jagger doing it in a little bit of a different way because we know that it has been the three-point shooting has been the main positive, which is a huge positive given the questions and concerns that you had about him at first shot 27% at BYU. that had been a strength, but the lack of aggressiveness, the lack of downhill driving force that he had been playing with really just the passivity in that part of his game in terms of not that often being willing to go downhill and when he got downhill looking a little timid around the basket. That was the biggest concern in addition to the ball handling concerns that we’ve seen him struggle with earlier this year. And he really, you know, in this game, I think in terms of the ball handling concerns and in terms of his, you know, passivity or timidness going to the basket, it looked completely different in this one. You look in the first half of this one, Jaor had three drives to the rim that I think were his most physical drives that we’ve seen yet. And he scored on all three of them. And that’s just something Jaor going to the basket, initiating some contact, and finishing on three drives in one half. We weren’t seeing that over like three or four, you know, game samples. like it’s continued to trend in the right direction with him going to the basket, but in terms of getting downhill, not shying away from contact going into guys. We saw that on multiple plays this one in the first half and that was really encouraging to see. I mean, we saw one play where he got by Jordan Walsh who’s no slouch of a defender. He finished over him. We saw another one where he got Anthony Simons on his hip and instead of fading or whatever, he went into him and initiated a little contact and he missed it. Then got back his offensive rebound and laid it in. Then we saw another one where he, you know, shot fake to close out, drove left. Really, it’s, you know, elevated towards the basket instead of figning and finished up towards the rim. So, all of that extremely positive stuff in addition to the three-point shooting. He hit two really nice threes in this one off the bounce. And then the playmaking, I mean, five assists, uh, one turnover in this one. You saw he had a really nasty assist to Drake Pal who also showed some good flashes in this one where Jagor drove left off the pick and roll, drove baseline, had like three defenders collapse to him and then he was kind of falling out of bounds and he whipped a pass around like three defenders to Drake Pal and Drake hit a three on the right wing. But those are the passes that Jaor is able to make because he has that vision obviously which is elite but he also has this 69 frame you know 610 wingspan that allows him to make the passes from different angles and see the passes and you see that in this one. So Jaor the the overhaul ball handling ability the lack of turnovers the continued three-point shooting the playmaking and the driving ability. We saw all of that in this one. And you know, Jagor, I’m just like I see the vision. Like I’m I’m really pleased with how he’s playing thus far, especially since coming into the starting lineup. And we said with him, like it wasn’t too hard at the draft, even though everybody was very critical of the pick, or most people were very critical of the pick. I said, if you go watch my reaction pod from that draft with Lucas Kaplan, I said, you don’t have to squint too hard to see the vision. I mean, 6’9 guy. He can handle the ball adequately. he, you know, the Nets seemed to think that he was going to be a high level three-point shooter. He’s the best passer in the draft. And then the length and versatility that he could have defensively even though it’s a work in progress. Like you’re seeing flashes of all that stuff. Like he’s shooting the ball at a very high level for a rookie. And then the ball handling ability, the driving ability, the playmaking, you’re seeing all of that trend in the right direction. And you’re seeing the flashes that you want to see from a 19-year-old rookie that that give you confidence that the trend line is going up. And not all like development is linear. You know, there’s going to be ups, there’s going to be downs, but you’re seeing the tools. And the thing I said about all of these Nets rookies entering the season, the thing that I was going to be looking for were do their strengths play at the NBA level. And you’re seeing that with Jagor, you’re seeing the three-point shooting. You’re seeing flashes of driving ability, and you’re seeing the court mapping and the playmaking and him making passes with his size and with his vision that a lot of other guys just can’t make. So, I come away with I come away from this really encouraged by Jagor as I have been. But this performance was his best performance of the season. And it’s one that if I were a Nets fan, I would be very excited about the direction and the trend line and how this stuff is looking with Jay Gordon. So really great stuff from Diego. But we also got Nick Claxton turning in an elite performance in this one. First triple double of his career. Noah Clowney also showed some really good stuff. And the Nets overall just competing as of late. And despite them being 3 and 12 and them winning this game, there’s going to be fans I know who are concerned and want to talk about the tank equation and what that looks like. So, we’ll get into all that when I close out Lockdown Nets after a quick break. This episode is brought to you by Prize Picks. You and I make decisions every day, but on Prize Picks, being right can get you paid. Don’t miss any of the excitement of this sports season. Whether you’re following the NFL, NBA, or both, there’s no better time to jump in on the action. If you haven’t tried it yet, Prize Pix is the simplest way to play. Just pick more or less on at least two player stats and if you get them right, you win. It takes less than 60 seconds to make your lineup and you can play anywhere Prize Pix operates, including California, Texas, and Georgia. Guys, you can use Prize Pix during both Football Sundays and NBA tip offs. It keeps every game exciting. You can pick your favorite players like Pat Mahomes or Steph Curry to see how your predictions play out. And the new stacks feature is a game changer. You can now pick more on Steph’s points, threes, and assists in the same lineup. So download the Prize Pix app today and use code lockdown NBA to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That’s code lockdown NBA for $50 in lineups after your first $5 lineup. Prize picks. It’s good to be right. All right, coming back from the break, closing out today’s Locked on Nets episode, reacting to a Brooklyn upset win at TD Garden in Boston. And I got to hit on Nick Claxton who turned in one of the best all-around performance of performances of his career. First triple double of his career. Claxton this one. He had 18 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, seven of 13 shooting, and he was a game high plus 18 in this one. And Nick Claxton, like we’ve heard obviously, you know, I’ve spoken at length about how well he’s been playing early this season, but this really was a two-way performance, a complimentary performance. We’ve seen Mlax. The offense has been at a career best level and it continues to be in this one. As I said, 18 points, 12 assists, only had three turnovers for a big man. He just continues to operate this Jordy Fernandez offense at an extremely high level in terms of his efficiency as a driver. We saw some really nice drives in this one. A few where he crossed up Neimascada and um Luca Garza and finished at the cup. A few and ones, a lot of push shots around the rim. you know, he’s shooting the best he has since that 202 2022 23 breakout campaign at the rim and also in the short mid-range from like 4 to 14 ft. Both of those numbers are really high. And then the playmaking just continues to be at an elite level. I mean, for a center like Nick is up there with Nicole Joic with some of these other big men in terms of the playmaking efficiency. like he’s not at Joic’s level obviously, but he’s up there in terms of his assist to turnover ratio, his assist percentage, his, you know, lack of turnovers, the way that he’s finding some of his teammates and putting them in advantageous positions. He’s doing that at a really high level. And we know that the demand has been more on Nick in this offense as a hub, big man hit, the demand as a self-creator, the demand as a passer, all of those things because the Nets lack really high level shot creation at the top of this roster in their backcourt play. So Nick has had to pick up the slack and he’s done it in a huge way on the offensive end and then in this one the defense was also really high level and that has trended in the right direction since those first four or five games. Nick didn’t have a block in his first four or five games and then since then I think he has blocks in his last 11 games straight and in this one he played at a very high level playing at the level on ball screens recovering doing some of those things snagging defensive rebounds just all around it was a really high level performance for Nick Claxton a player who like I just talked about with MPJ and Jorman the arrow is pointing up and the Nets are getting highle contributions from multiple guys in these recent games and that’s leading them to be able to compete with some of these teams and you know compete with a Boston team in this one that sure is without Jason Tatum and whatever but still like a good team a championship team two years ago. So Nick Clax and a player there’s going to continue to be trade conversation or there’s going to be more trade conversation as we get towards the deadline. I’m not saying the Nets should trade him. I’m saying there’s going to be interest in him around the league based off of the way he’s playing and the Nets are going to be put to a decision. They have to decide, are we going to sell high on him and sell high on this improvement or do we believe in this as a long-term trend line and do we feel that he is going to be our best option at center moving forward? So, the better Nick Claxton plays, the more the buzz is going to generate in those conversations and the more the Nets are going to be put to a position where they’re going to face a difficult decision. What they do with that decision is going to be one of the top storylines that we move forward with this season. The last guy I want to touch on is Noah Clowney, who I think continues to look really encouraging in terms of what he’s doing on the offensive end of the floor and then also showed some defensive flashes in this one. But Noah had 19 points on seven of 15 shooting and he didn’t even shoot well from three in this one. What was he? Noah was three of 11 from three in this one. So, he didn’t shoot well. But the driving ability is what is most intriguing to me because I’ve said this, you know, since Noah has started to play better early this season, the driving ability has been the thing that is sticking out the most because during Noah’s first two seasons, we knew that he could shoot the ball at a decent level or an adequate level at least from three. But he really couldn’t do anything else. He could not put the ball on the floor. He could not get to the basket. He could not finish around the basket. He shot like 40% on twos as a 6’9 big man last season and this year he is making serious strides as a driver of the basketball in addition to shooting better from three in recent games. But the driving ability we talked about entering the offseason we talked about at training camp the bulk that Noah Clowny put in and the body transformation that he underwent this off season with him starting to look like he’s having a little bit of a grown man body now in his third season at 21 years old. and it’s showing on the games. Like, it’s one thing to put on that weight and look better and like, you know, have your shirtless pics or whatever on Instagram, but when it’s actually, you know, implemented and impactful during the games, that’s when it gets exciting. And we’re seeing that with Noah Clowny. We’re seeing him when he drives to the basket. I’ve said that Noah isn’t a guy who has like these crafty moves. He doesn’t have the crafty, you know, the crafty crossovers or dribble moves or euros or step throughs, like none of that. his biggest asset going to the basket is going to be his force, his downhill force and his size and his ability to generate space using discards and things along those lines. And we’re seeing Noah do it like going to the basket. He’s being physical like guys, he gets advantages because guys close out very hard to him and they respect his three-point shot. And with that, he’s going to be able to get downhill. But now last year where Noah was getting kind of caught in the paint and he looked really indecisive. Now we’re seeing him initiate contact, play off two feet, generate space and finish and that was the biggest thing that we talked about with Noah Clowny or I talked about with Noah Clowny and Jordy Fernandez entering the season was his ability to play off two feet and you look at it like go watch the highlights of Noah Clowny drives this season. You’re gonna see he’s getting downhill. He’s generating advantage whether off just a blowby or attacking a close out. And then when he gets into the paint, he’s putting shoulders into people. He’s either getting to two feet or he’s on his one two, he’s initiating contact and he’s generating space and that’s allowing him to finish around the rim. In addition to that, we’re seeing some nice touch on like some running layups, some running like half hook shots. Just overall really positive stuff from Noah Clowny. And then we also saw defensively in this one, he made some big plays. like we’re seeing a little bit more aggressiveness on the low man rotations and that’s huge because when the Nets are playing at the level on these high ball screens with their centers which means that the big man when the when the uh opposing big man sets the screen the net centers are playing even with him at the level which is supposed to cut off the driving lane and with that you get a lot of slips you get a lot of pocket passes to the rolling big man going downhill and then he’s at an advantage and the last line of defense is what we call the low man the guy who’s down low rotating over and Noah Clowney is in that position very often and he had been in a lot of recent games just very timid just like a little too a little late on rotations or not physical or forceful or decisive on those rotations and tonight we saw one where he rotated over and Neimus Kada was coming down the lane and tried to throw one down and Noah Clowny came over and punched it and blocked it out of there which was just an unbelievable play one of the best blocks of his career and then we saw the same thing on a few plays later and Neascada dunked over him but I don’t care enjoyed it Fernandez, I can assure you, does not care either. It’s the willingness. It’s the timing on the rotation. It’s also the aggressiveness going uphill and trying to meet someone. We saw a lot of plays like that from Noah Clowney. And we have of late and that’s why the Nets are surren surrendering much fewer points in the paint and their defense has looked much better as of late. So, all of that stuff really good from Noah Clowny. Also, Drake Pal like I want to just give him a quick shout out because he looked good in this game. He had nine points. He made some good plays defensively. We saw one play where he got a steal. He jumped the passing lane, which is like you’re just seeing him do a lot. You’re seeing his length get in passing lanes, give people trouble that way. Also, obviously on the ball, his length, he just moves and he has, you know, 6’5, 7 foot wingspan. We know the athleticism he has, but just the way that he moves, the ground he can cover, the way he can stop on a dime, the way his hips are oily, the way he can flip his hips, he just covers so much ground, he just looks different out there defensively. And we saw one play today where he jumped the passing lane, he went down the court, he dunked over Anthony Simons, which is really nice to see to that athletic play, an athletic forceful play, something we don’t always see from the Nets as of late. And also, he hit some threes, he made some other plays. So, just good stuff from Drake Pal. And overall, this Nets team, they look more competitive lately. And I did an episode with Lucas Kaplan after the Nets beat the Wizards, and I talked about what I was calling tank hysteria over the fan base. And it’s so crazy, you know, not so crazy, but it’s it was you you kind of feel like it was somewhat ridiculous that fans were getting that upset or worked up over the Nets having two being two and 11 or whatever they were and having two wins. And the reason that fans were getting worked up is because there’s so many despicable teams at the bottom of the race this year. And the Nets now with this win, they dropped to fifth place in the tank race. And I said it on that podcast. Well, I thought it was premature. Well, I thought it’s too early to be getting worked up over this stuff. I said I understood the fans concerns about that stuff. I understood how starved this fan base is for a top guy, a face of the franchise top guy that you hopefully can get in this coming draft. And with the way the Nets really botched the tank last year, I understood some PTSD and some concerns from the fans. And still, the Nets are three and 12. They’re on pace for whatever you want to call it, like 17 or 18 wins. So, you can’t really get mad at them for botching the tank or doing anything like that because they’ve really executed this tank nearly as well as you can in terms of the offseason moves they’ve made. But yet, in pure Nets fashion, they still got to make it interesting or the NBA, the basketball world and universe still has to make it interesting because the Nets are now fifth in the tank standings. They’re behind the Kings, the Pelicans, the Pacers, and the Wizards. And of those teams, you know, the Pelicans are really bad, but I think that they’ll probably be able to finish ahead of the Nets because they don’t own their draft pick. So, if they can’t finish ahead of the Nets, that’s just despicable. They’re going to be doing everything they can to try to win for the entire season, which is not going to be the case with other teams. The Kings, there’s been some rubbings about them potentially, you know, being involved in a fire sale and pivoting towards a rebuild. But for now, even though they’re struggling, like they’re a team that should perceivably finish ahead of the Nets. the Patriots and the Wizards. Those teams are concerns as are like the Kings and Pelicans despite them not having incentive to lose right now. They’re still in the conversation. Then you have teams like the Dallas Mavericks who could go into a tank, you know, and tear it down. So, like, I’m not going to panic. I don’t think Nets fans should panic. They’re still in a good position tank-wise because I think they are going to have a very strong chance to finish in the top three. But overall, if you’re talking about the Nets getting towards the top of these tank standings, they’re playing much better basketball of late. They’re buying in. The defense looks much better. And Jordy Fernandez is once again getting these guys to play really hard. And Michael Porter Jr., Nick Claxton are playing at a very high level right now. And we’re seeing some other guys show flashes. So, as the year progresses, I said the Nets are probably going to have to put their foot on the gas a little bit earlier than expected in terms of the tank because of how bad the bottom of the NBA standings are. And that could mean trading some pieces away. That could mean, you know, um, you know, when you talk about trade conversations with Nick Claxton or Michael Porter Jr., that could factor in when you talk about the way that they handle some injuries or whatever stuff. Like, we see how teams who are truly urgent about tanking operate. We’ve we didn’t see the Nets do that last season. They weren’t one of the teams that was willing to do that for most of the year. They did it with their offseason moves, but they’ve yet to really do it early in the season. But yet they are just three and 12. The bottom of the standings are just so bad. But we’ll see whether the bottom of the standings being that bad does lead the Nets to press their foot on this tank gas pedal which is, you know, because this is the last year that they had their first round pick. So how they handle that is going to be a main story line moving forward. Overall, if you’re a Nets fan, you know, I’m not going to say anybody, not going to tell people how to fan, but like this was an exciting win and this was a win where you saw a lot of positive things that are going to benefit the Nets long term up and down the roster. Whether you talk about the rookies playing well, whether you talk about MPJ and Nick Claxton as potential pieces moving forward or trade pieces, whether you talk about Noah Clown’s improvement, just all around positive stuff. But that’s all I got for you guys today. Hope you enjoyed this bonus episode of Locked on Nets. Had to get one in after that win, third win of the season. But if you do not already, make sure to subscribe to Locked on Nets on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast, whether Apple podcast or Spotify. If you enjoy the content, take a second, smash that like button, leave a comment, leave a fivestar review. Anything you can do to engage is much appreciated. But then it’s got another game on Sunday and then a nice exciting slate coming up in the coming week of games. So, I’ll have coverage of all that and more when I’m back on Monday talking more Brooklyn Nets basketball.

Erik Slater reacts to the Brooklyn Nets’ upset win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. He analyzes the Nets’ recent improved play and performances from Michael Porter Jr., Egor Demin and Nic Claxton, among others.

📲 Follow Locked On Nets on Socials

Locked On Nets https://twitter.com/LockedOnNets

Erik Slater https://twitter.com/erikslater_

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

DoorDashNext time someone goes off for 50, use promo code NBA50the next day to get 50% off on DoorDash with DashPass — plus your shot at the Bag Drop.DashPass members only. 50% off up to $10 the day after a 50-point game with promo code. Terms apply.No Purchase Necessary. Ends April 13th. Open to U.S. residents 21 or older. Visit https://DoorDashInYourBag.com for full details.DoorDash — In your bag all season long.

QuoSee why over 90,000 businesses trust Quo, formerly OpenPhone. Get started free and get 20% off your first 6 months at https://www.Quo.com/LOCKEDONNBA.

RipplingGet Rippling FREE for 6 months. Terms and conditions apply. See site for details: https://app.rippling.com/legal/promoterms

PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use codeLOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.Click Here:https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNBA

SKIMSShop SKIMS Men’s now at https://SKIMS.com.When you place your order, choose “podcast” in the post-purchase survey and select our show from the dropdown to let them know we sent you.The SKIMS Holiday Shop is open — so if you’re looking for the perfect gift this season, SKIMS has you covered.

RugietVisit https://rugiet.com/lockedonnbato get 15% off your first order.And don’t forget to use our code LOCKEDONNBA so they know we sent you.Rugiet — stop making excuses and start making moves.

RobinhoodYou expect more from yourself. Expect more from your money. Get started today at robinhood.com/yourmoney. Your money. Your move.

All investments involve risk, including loss of principal. Options, futures, and crypto trading carry significant risk and may not suit all investors. Securities offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, member SIPC. Futures trading is offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC and not SPIC or FDIC protected. Crypto offered through Robinhood Crypto, LLC (NMLS ID 1702840), not FDIC or SIPC protected. Portfolio management offered by Robinhood Strategies, an SEC-registered advisor.

GametimeToday’s episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.

FanDuelRight now, new customers can bet just FIVE dollars and if your bet wins—you’ll get THREE HUNDRED dollars in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the FanDuel app now by visiting https://FanDuel.com to get started

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#BrooklynNets #NBA