The Nets officially clinched a playoff berth with their win over the Toronto Raptors, Tuesday night.
Thanks to losses by Charlotte and Boston earlier in the night, Brooklyn’s playoff berth was locked up before the final buzzer in Tampa.
It’s now three straight playoff trips for the Nets — and six in their nine seasons in Brooklyn.
The end game for Brooklyn isn’t clinching a spot in the postseason, they’re still a ways off from that. Meanwhile, there’s a sweetness which came with knocking off the Raptors, 116-103, in order to seal the deal. Toronto had won both of this season’s previous meetings with the Nets.
What worked for Brooklyn is what’s been their mantra all season, team effort and a next man up mentality.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were quiet with 17 and nine points respectively. It was the role players, however, which stepped up for Brooklyn. Jeff Green led the way with 22 points and Blake Griffin chipped in 17 points.
And there’s a new face on the scene making quite the first impression on fans. Newly-signed guard Mike James scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter to help fuel a Nets rally. So far, James has fit right in with Brooklyn while adding more roster depth.
For the Nets, it’s now about playoff-positioning and finishing the regular season strong.
With 10 games remaining in the regular season, the Nets are 42-20. They are 1½ games ahead of Philadelphia (40-21) in the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
It’s also about continuing their goal of getting as healthy as possible for the postseason. Bruce Brown did not play against Toronto due to right knee soreness. Nic Claxton and Alize Johnson also remain out due to health and safety protocols.
