Field Level Media
Apr 7, 2018
Unloading a non-stop barrage of 3-pointers Saturday night, the Brooklyn Nets routed the Chicago Bulls 124-96 at the United Center in Chicago.
Brooklyn sank 24 of 55 attempts from behind the arc, with eight players hitting at least one 3-pointer and six making multiple threes. Leading a balanced attack was reserve Quincy Acy with a game-high 21 points, all but three of them on 3-pointers. Allen Crabbe added 20 while Joe Harris chipped in 16 points.
Caris LeVert came off the bench to score 13 points and dish out eight assists, and D'Angelo Russell contributed 12 points. The Nets finished the night at exactly 50 percent from the field, drawing assists on 36 of their 46 buckets.
Former Brooklyn player Sean Kilpatrick led the Bulls with 20 points in a reserve role while Bobby Portis kicked in 18. Justin Holiday added 15 points, and Cristiano Felicio chipped in a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. Jerian Grant came off the bench to score 13 points.
In contrast to Brooklyn's assault from the perimeter, Chicago made just 6 of 29 3-point tries.
Brooklyn set the tone right away, answering Chicago's initial bucket of the game with a 14-3 spurt and taking a nine-point lead just 4:17 into the game on two foul shots by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The Nets ended the first quarter with a 28-23 advantage as Acy hit the first of his 3-pointers with 2.5 seconds left.
Late in the second quarter, Brooklyn began to pull away. After the Bulls drew within 47-46 when Grant converted a three-point play with 4:39 remaining, the Nets ripped off a 16-3 spurt, capping it with a Russell free throw. They went into the locker room with a 63-51 cushion.
It became a blowout in the third quarter. Brooklyn canned five straight 3-pointers in a 2:53 span early in the period to make it a 78-62 advantage, then pushed the lead to 20 for the first time when Acy drained his fourth 3-pointer. The Nets led 96-77 going into the fourth quarter.
--Field Level Media