Nets have to ‘do better’ at Barclays Center

House is the place the guts is, but it surely’s additionally the place the Nets’ struggles are.

Brooklyn blew a golden alternative on the street, the place it had each famous person Kyrie Irving and the NBA’s finest file. Now the Nets return to Barclays Heart with a short-handed roster and James Harden the one star nonetheless standing, however slumping.

“[Our road record] is fairly strong. We acquired to do higher at house,” Harden admitted, including succinctly, “House ain’t nothing.”

And Harden isn’t mendacity.

Brooklyn (29-17) is a half-game behind Miami for first place within the Jap Convention, however its surprisingly poor house kind has stored the Nets from having fun with a wholesome lead. And so they’ll want extra from Harden to show that round, particularly towards the likes of the Lakers on Tuesday.

The Nets’ 12-11 file at Barclays Heart is simply the 18th-best house mark within the league, and the second-worst amongst all groups with successful information.

Sure, the Nets are bereft of Irving at Barclays Heart, because of his refusal to adhere to New York’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. However he solely just lately returned to the courtroom on Jan. 5, and is hardly to purpose for his or her surprising home-road splits.

The Nets are 17-6 on the street, the most effective file within the East. And once they boarded a aircraft Jan. 16 to embark on this previous four-game trek, they have been 15-4 and tied with Phoenix for the most effective within the league. Having Irving obtainable buoyed hopes and expectations of a robust journey.

They acquired dashed.

A gap loss in Cleveland set the tone, and a defeat in Minneapolis on Sunday wrapped up a disappointing 2-2 journey regardless of Irving’s sturdy play.

“I’m slowly crawling into my prime proper now,” Irving mentioned. “However coming off a street journey like this was a great take a look at, and I’m simply grateful I used to be capable of rise up and down and are available out of those video games wholesome. I really feel like I’m in a greater rhythm simply shape-wise, having the ability to play each ends of the ball and pictures when it comes to attending to my spots and pulling down some straightforward pictures.

“I felt like they have been good for the movement of the staff. After which, game-to-game simply making changes. That was new for me. [So] 2-2, we cut up it. Want we have been 3-1 or 4-0, however typically it simply occurs that manner.”

Now the Nets return to Barclays Heart, the place they’ve dropped six of their previous eight video games.

They host the Lakers — with LeBron James scorching and Anthony Davis possible — after which the Nuggets.

“We simply talked about it within the locker room, 4 days at house after which we’re again on the street. It’s only a lot to stay up for,” Irving mentioned. “First, the fellows are going to need to provoke and be capable of care for this back-to-back towards two nice groups within the league that finally are going to be competing within the Western Convention for a championship run. So will probably be a great take a look at.”

“Within the meantime, I’m staying within the health club, staying in form as finest I can, simply taking part in with the ‘keep prepared’ group and staying engaged and doing what I can to remain in a rhythm.”

With Irving banned at house and Kevin Durant recovering from an MCL injury, the Massive 3 has nonetheless performed simply 16 video games collectively, and that’s not more likely to change till after the All-Star break.

The Nets are 3-2 this season with Harden because the lone star. To beat the Lakers and Nuggets, he’ll need to play higher than he did at Minnesota, when he had simply 13 factors — 10 under his season common — on 4 of 13 capturing, earned simply 4 free throws and completed a minus-14.

“It’s irritating, however no matter. [Sunday] was only a robust one for us,” mentioned Harden, a minus-25 in his final 13 video games. “It didn’t come our manner and we’ve simply gotta regroup and prepare to return again house.”