Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez delivered a brilliant game plan that threw off one talented 76ers star.
New defensive energy arrived gift wrapped for the Brooklyn Nets ahead of Christmas.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez has retooled that side of the floor -- leading to league-high marks. Brooklyn hasn't allowed more than 107 points in the last four games. They've surrendered less than that mark in each victory this season, in general.
But the Philadelphia 76ers game showed the Nets at their masterful best on defense. Particularly in disrupting a "disruptive" Philly star.
Brooklyn bottled Tyrese Maxey to just 13 points in the Nets' 114-106 win. The same Maxey who entered averaging 31 points per game and was fresh off dropping 38 on the Dallas Mavericks.
How was Brooklyn able to limit Maxey's shot selections and shooting ease?
“I think our ball pressure was good. We always have bodies in front, and we all know how special a player he is and how disruptive he is,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said to reporters after the win. “He can drive you crazy throughout a game because he's that good. Today, he probably didn't have the impact, but still, he creates so much attention."
Fernandez made sure the Nets were vigilant in knowing where Maxey was on the floor -- regardless if he possessed the ball or not.
"Every time he was running to get the ball, or had the ball in his hands, we were aware," Fernandez said. "So happy for the guys, I think they did a great job. Not just against him, but the whole game defensively was a good game.”
Maxey even played 39 total minutes on the floor -- and still got forced into a rough shooting night. Not long ago he went off on the Nets.
But again, Maxey struggled to go off on the scoring end. Even Tyrese Martin shook Maxey on a long range three-point basket...further frustrating the 76ers star.
Brooklyn hands him his second-worst shooting evening in December. The Milwaukee Bucks capped Maxey at 12 points back on Dec. 5. Yet Maxey's 76ers won that contest 116-101.
The Nets. though, forced Maxey into a season-worst 3-of-14 shooting with a 21.4% shooting percentage. He made five field goals on 14 attempts against the Bucks.
Ball pressure is now newly ignited for the Nets -- leading into the epic defensive turnaround. The Nets stole the basketball eight times while blocking two shots in the eight-point win. Now Brooklyn will aim to carry its defensive momentum over to Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.