Trae Young initially wanted Brooklyn. The Nets definitely didn't want him. Atlanta ended up trading Young to Washington on Wednesday, but the fact the Nets had been an attractive destination - reportedly one of two landing spots initially suggested by Young's camp - for a four-time All-Star not only dispelled any notions that stars would avoid Brooklyn in the wake of the Big 3's breakup, but it is also an auspicious sign for Brooklyn's ongoing rebuild.
Paolo Banchero banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the overtime buzzer to give the Orlando Magic a 104-103 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Two nights after falling at lowly Washington, the Magic beat the Nets for the eighth straight time to improve to 21-17. Banchero scored 30 points to lead Orlando. Wendell Carter Jr. added 20, Tristan da Silva had 14 and Noah Penda 13.
"Just a true vet," head coach Jordi Fernández said. "You see him right now, he's passing the ball to Drake and we're not asking him to do it. So that shows you the type of veteran he is, his leadership. He holds him accountable and he wants him to get better. So that's very important for us. That leadership is priceless and we're very happy with him... He's doing his job every single day."
Stephen Curry scored 27 points and Jimmy Butler finished with 21 as the Golden State Warriors beat the Brooklyn Nets 120-107 on Monday night. Curry shot 8 for 15 from the field while Butler went 11 for 12 from the free throw line for the Warriors, who bounced back from an overtime loss in Toronto in Sunday to win for the fourth time in five games. Trayce Jackson-Davis added 11 points and Gary Payton II, De'Anthony Melton and Will Richard each chipped in 10. Michael Porter Jr. had 27 points and rookie Egor Demin added 23 for the Nets, who had their three-game winning streak stopped.
It was announced today that Jakob Poeltl will miss tomorrow night's action against the Brooklyn Nets for lower back injury management, an injury that has plagued the 30-year old center all season. Resting him on the first night of a back-to-back against the Brooklyn Nets will allow him to be ready for a Monday matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who sit just behind Toronto in the standings.