The 2nd night of a back-to-back on the road against the Chicago Bulls came after losing two straight against the incredible Orlando Magic. Since losing Cam Thomas to a hamstring strain and Noah Clowney and Dorian Finney-Smith to ankle sprains, the Nets have been battling despite injuries to multiple key rotation players. Going into tonight, it was announced that Cameron Johnson, Ziaire Williams, and Ben Simmons would be added to the injury report, further depleting the Nets' frontcourt depth. However, they would be receiving reinforcements from center DayRon Sharpe, who would be making his season debut after being sidelined with a hamstring strain since the start of the season.
In the 1st half, the Nets played competitive basketball, pressing full court and playing pesky defense in an attempt to prevent the Bulls from getting into their sets. However, despite the defensive effort, the Bulls were making their 3s and taking advantage of their size, shooting 10-27 from 3PT and easily scoring in the paint. What kept the Nets in this game was their aggressiveness in getting to the basket, attempting 8 more free throws in the half compared to the Bulls. To everyone’s surprise, sophomore Dariq Whitehead played 10 minutes in the 1st half, and he looked impactful despite having an atrocious Summer League. Offensively, he only had 3 points on 1-3 FG; however, his defensive impact was what stood out. He got a steal and assisted in transition off a blitz, blocked Julian Phillips from the corner, and executed a textbook vertical contest to protect the rim. It was very promising, considering his multiple foot surgeries, that he’s able to move effectively on the defensive end.
In the 2nd half, the Bulls led 56-50 and came out strong, going on a 9-2 run with the offense running through Nikola Vucevic. Without Cam Thomas and Ben Simmons, the Nets struggled to create offense, generating only 22 points in the 3rd quarter. Not only could they not score, but they also struggled defensively, being unable to stop former All-Stars Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, who combined for 21 points on 8-11 FG in the 3rd quarter. Going into the 4th, the lead for the Bulls was 92-72, and it looked like the injuries were catching up to the Nets as they looked exhausted throughout the 4th. The Nets lost their 3rd straight game, with Chicago dominating 128-102.
While tonight was a blowout loss, there was one silver lining: Dariq Whitehead flashed some of the potential he showed at Montverde and Duke that the Nets were attracted to. Against the Bulls, he finished the night with 18 points, 2 steals, and 1 block on 6-11 FG, shooting 6-10 from 3PT and becoming the youngest player in Nets history to make six 3-pointers in a game. Although he has difficulty getting to the rim, he showed great defensive instincts, and at 6'7", he can very easily be a 3&D wing in this league if he can steadily improve.
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