The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on guard Archie Goodwin.
Goodwin appeared in 12 games for Brooklyn in the 2016-17 season, recording averages of 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 15.4 minutes per game. He originally signed the first of two 10-day contracts with the Nets on March 15, 2017, before inking a multi-year contract with the team on April 4, 2017. In 165 career games with Brooklyn, New Orleans, and Phoenix, the four-year NBA veteran has averaged 6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.5 minutes per contest.
UPDATE (September 8, 2017): Archie Goodwin signs training camp deal with the Portland Trailblazers
The Brooklyn Nets are now officially on their “glow-up” tour, as they beat the Orlando Magic 121-111 at the Barclays Center on Saturday evening.
The Nets have now won three of their last four home games. There is a lot to like about how the Nets are playing lately and specifically how the team played against the Magic. The Nets scored a season-high 72 points in the paint, outscoring the Magic 72-32 in the painted area. Hello!
“Brook is really hard to guard down there,” Jeremy Lin said. “We keep trying to find ways to exploit the defense with his size and his touch. I think he’s finding a great balance inside and outside. I felt like he really made his presence known tonight.”
“I thought we were very unselfish today and we got back to moving the ball – that’s the first thing J-Lin (Jeremy Lin) brought out, coming out into the start of the game,” Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez said about what got the offense clicking in tonight’s game.
“I thought we moved the ball very well. Honestly, for me, I thought the bench did such great job tonight. They came in and picked us up in the second and again in the third. They were just spectacular out there and they were the difference tonight,” Lopez continued.
Yep, the Brooklyn Nets’ bench did show out tonight. The Nets’ reserves outscored the Magic’s reserves 72-16. And this was not a fluke, as the Nets’ bench outscored Phoenix’s bench on March 23 with a season-high 81 points and back in January against New Orleans with 73 points.
Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson liked how his bench played in big spots.
“Similar how teams have done to us, we started to pick them up, we started denying some passes, we got into the ball,” Atkinson said. “It was an overall energy, a youthful energy. Isaiah (Whitehead) I thought was really good, Archie (Goodwin) gives us a big boost with his athleticism and how fast he is and he did a good job defensively…then (Trevor) Booker was really good on both ends.”
Lopez was overjoyed about the Nets reserves.
“It was fun to watch honestly,” Lopez said. “They did it tonight for us – no question. Again, it was just great to see that energy on the floor and our guys were so excited for them on the bench.”
At the end of the day, the game’s outcome is what really matters. However, in the first few minutes, one could not tell that Brooklyn would have such a great night. Orlando came out the gate strong scoring nine points to Brooklyn’s two in less than 3 minutes. However, like a ship in rough seas, the team got righted; Lopez scored 12 points in under 8 minutes during the first quarter. A Booker jump shot at 2:48 in the first, gave the Nets its first lead, 27-26. A back and forth ensued and a Sean Kilpatrick jump shot with less than 11 seconds to go helped the Nets to end the first quarter tied at 33-33.
Brooklyn ended the second quarter 60-53 over Orlando; and then, it was all even 89-89 at the end of the third.
And then came the fourth quarter when the Nets went on an 11-0 run and the Magic, without an answer, could not get over the hump. The Nets’ bench took over offensively and defensively.
Off the bench, Spencer Dinwiddie and Booker helped to break open a big lead for the Nets in the fourth, which did not go unnoticed by Atkinson.
“Yeah, that kind of broke it open,” Atkinson stated. “I thought Spencer made some big plays; he was really good in the pick and roll. His size, he gets in the paint and he’s a tough guy to deal with. Trevor in the pick and roll, in transition, just making the simple play, that was where we were able to break it open a little bit.”
And the performance of the Nets’ bench was certainly on the radar of the Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel.
“I think Brooklyn’s bench came in and took over the game during that stretch to start the fourth quarter to build a big lead,” Vogel said. “I credit their bench.”
“We just really drove the ball well, Atkinson said about the Nets’ overall play. I felt like we were very aggressive to the rim. In transition we got out and got some easy ones, we were really driving it and finishing at a better rate. We didn’t shoot it well from the perimeter, but I thought we got a lot of open looks. But I was pleased with our defense too for the most part. The first quarter wasn’t great, third quarter they got going. (Nikola) Vučević got going. The difference in the game was probably the bench, though. At the end of the day, I thought they really brought great energy, picked up our defense, did a great job of playing together.”
For the win, Lopez scored a game-high 30 points; Booker had a season-high 23 points, he also added eight rebounds; Kilpatrick contributed 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists, Justin Hamilton chipped in 13 points and five rebounds.
To the Magic’s credit, four of its five starters scored over 20 points: Vučević had a team-high 27 points and 11 rebounds and Aaron Gordon scored 22 points and 15 rebounds. Although both Evan Fournier and Elfrid Payton each had 20 points, Payton had a triple double with 11 rebounds and 11 assists to his tally, which was overshadowed by the Magic’s loss.
The Magic’s loss is the Nets’ gain and Lopez speaking for the team is excited that the hard work, the grinding it out, and staying focus through the losses was very important to getting them on the winning track.
“It was very important, very big,” Lopez said. “We just continually talked about no slippage until the very end of the season – until whatever day, April 12, 15, whatever it is, I’m not exactly sure – but we want to continue to improve, and take every opportunity we can to get better as a team.”
The Nets will be back at it tomorrow for a home back-to-back, as they face the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks at 6:00 p.m.
Spring has officially begun and the change of seasons can usher in new beginnings. For the Brooklyn Nets, a game against the Phoenix Suns could mark a first for the Nets. A win would mark the first time that Brooklyn won two consecutive games this season. On the flip side, Phoenix was looking to end a five-game losing streak.
Brooklyn fell behind by double digits to the start the game, scoring only two points in the first four minutes. After the scoring drought was broken by Caris LeVert, the Nets offense showed signs of change but the team still struggled from the field. When the quarter ended, the Nets shot 36% from the field and 20% from three-point range. Brooklyn trailed Phoenix 32-22.
When the second quarter began, rookie Isaiah Whitehead helped cut into the Suns lead by scoring quick eight points coming off the bench. As the game progressed in the first half, the Nets offense became more fluid. Their collective shooting hands got warmer and they pushed the tempo of the game often creating easy scoring opportunities for themselves. With just under nine minutes left in the half, Trevor Booker gave the Nets the lead, one they carried into the second-half of the game.
The second-half saw the Brooklyn Nets build upon the momentum created in the first. Nets guards continued to penetrate the Suns defense which either resulted in a trip to the free-throw line or a bucket. Brooklyn played like a well-oiled machine and didn’t show any signs of a collapse. At one point, Brooklyn had a 33-point lead over Phoenix which matched their largest of the season. The Nets’ bench once again proved to be instrumental in the success of the team, outscoring their counterpart 81-22. One of the sparkplugs off the bench, Archie Goodwin, scored 10 points which is the first time he has scored double digits in consecutive games this season.
When asked to discuss his mindset going into the game, Goodwin responded, “Whenever they call your name, they’re going to expect you to be ready, so I just always stand ready, just watching the game and seeing how it’s progressing, and seeing where I can get in and be effective and just try to take advantage.”
When the final buzzer sounded, the Nets secured the victory winning 126-98. They are now headed to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards.
When asked about the win streak, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said, “I think we are building and we are improving. I mean we obviously have a long, long way to go…You know looking to continue this and again it is monumental; it is huge, that we trend positively and continue our improvement.”