Google News Kyrie Irving explains what Nets need to do to help Kevin Durant
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Kyrie Irving admitted it "did not even feel like Kevin Durant had 55 points" after the Brooklyn Nets suffered a 122-115 road loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Durant went 19-of-28 from the field, including a stunning 8-of-10 from beyond the arc, but even that wasn't enough as the Nets suffered their second consecutive defeat.
Irving also had a great performance, dropping 31 points. Even though both Irving and Durant delivered big performances, it wasn't enough for them to beat the Hawks. Durant posted a new career-high in a loss to the Hawks.
"It doesn't even feel like he had 55 tonight," Nets guard Irving said, per ESPN. "You know what I mean? Just the way that we feel about the game afterwards."
Irving: We have got to help Durant
Durant is delivering but the Nets aren't winning.
"We just have to ease his burden on the offensive end," Irving said. "He's going to be Kevin Durant. We know who he is. We know what he's capable of, but we have to be there to support him. And we have to be there ready to play just as much as he is and not allow frustration seep in at all." After the loss, Durant voiced his frusration with how the Nets defended.
Durant noted it's unacceptable that they allowed the Hawks to shoot 49 free throws. "We're fouling early," Durant said. "We put them in the bonus early every quarter; 37-14 [difference in] free throw makes. And it's not 'cause of the refs, it was because we're reaching and being undisciplined and just playing too aggressive.
That's the game. They shot 42% from the field which is great defense, 31[%] from the 3. They outrebounded us by two, and one more assist than us ... it's just fouls. And we can't do that if we want to be a winning team." The Nets will start their postseason by playing the play-in tournament.
"Every loss is deflating," Durant said. "I ain't even worried about that, I'm just mad at the loss. I'm glad I shot the ball well. Made eight 3s, a career high, but I wish we would have came out with a W just by doing the little stuff.
My points are going to come, my shots are going to come, but the little stuff that we got to do, we got to be on the same page with."