Spencer Dinwiddie leads all scorers and cements Nets’ lead over the Bulls with two late free-throws, Caris LeVert and Joe Harris each score more than 20 points

The Brooklyn Nets have entered a new era.

In case you missed it, Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson and Brooklyn Nets general manager, Sean Marks, mutually agreed that Atkinson would move on. Assistant Coach, Jacque Vaughn, has been elevated to interim head coach. Under Coach Vaughn’s leadership, the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Chicago Bulls 110-107, and now Vaughn’s record is 1-0. With the win, the Nets’ win-loss record improved to 29-34, while the Bulls fell to 21-43 on the season with the loss to the Nets.

By The Numbers

Brooklyn shot .500 (32-of-64) from the field on Sunday and improved to 8-1 this season when shooting .500 or better from the field in a game. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls shot 42.4 percent (39-of-42)

From behind-the-arc, the Chicago Bulls edged the Brooklyn Nets on three-pointers; the Bulls made 12-of-34 vs. Brooklyn’s 11-of-30.

In the land of the free, Brooklyn shot .854 (35-of-41), which was a season-high number of free-throws for the Nets. They have now shot .850 or better from the free-throw line in 10 games this season. Chicago’s free-throw production of 17-of-25 (68 percent), was less than half of Brooklyn’s free-throw production (35-of-41).

Brooklyn outrebounded Chicago 50-31 (+19) on Sunday. Entering yesterday’s game, the Nets’ 48.5 rebounds per game ranked second in the league.

Considering the 28 turnovers made by the Brooklyn Nets versus the seven (7) made by the Chicago Bulls, luck was on the side of the Nets.

Coach Speak: Brooklyn Nets interim head coach Jacque Vaughn

Coach Vaughn was probably sweating a bit on the bench when in the closing seconds the Bulls’ Otto Porter Jr. made it a one-point game particularly with the 28 turnovers made by the Nets.

And, the number of turnovers made by the Nets was a question put before its new coach.

“Not completely sure – we even ended up changing the basketball throughout the course of the game, which doesn’t happen too often,” responded Nets interim head coach, Jacque Vaughn. “We complained that it was a little bit too slippery, and Chicago did too, and they (the referees) changed the ball. I think that was the first seven (turnovers). The other 21, we’ll have to look at tomorrow. But overall, they’re an aggressive team and they’ve always forced you to not be casual – and I think we were casual at times with the basketball. (A) good test for us, especially going out West.”

Despite the number of turnovers, the Nets won the first game under their new coach.

So, what was Coach Vaughn’s message to his team about the last 24 hours and pulling off a win against Chicago?

“Just glad for the guys that were able to get back on the floor, get back to what they enjoy doing, love doing – compete and playing the game of basketball,” said Coach Vaughn. “At the end of the day, that was the best part of getting together and competing today.”

“We have a road trip coming up,” Coach Vaughn continued. “Chicago gave us a little dose of aggressive teams and our ability to take care of the basketball on the road, take care of each other put us in a position to get some wins on the road.”

Brooklyn Nets Scoring Leaders

The Brooklyn Nets had five scoring leaders yesterday, players with scores of more than 10 points. Spencer Dinwiddie led all players with 24 points and six assists (both team highs), while shooting 4-of-9 from the field, 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 14-of-15 from the free-throw line in 37 minutes. Dinwiddie’s 14 made free-throws matched a season-high, which was also done against Chicago on November 16, 2019. Caris LeVert scored 23 points and added six rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes; Joe Harris also scored 23 points (8-of-12 FG, 3-of-7 3FG, 4-of-4 FT) in 31 minutes versus the Bulls; DeAndre Jordan, with his fifth start of the season, tallied 11 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, four assists, and a game-high three blocks in 29 minutes, and; Jarrett Allen added 11 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench for Brooklyn.

This was the first time three Brooklyn Nets players scored more than 20 points in the same game since January 29, 2020, which was against the Detroit Pistons. They were: Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyrie Irving, and Taurean Prince.

Chicago Bulls Scoring Leaders

The Chicago Bulls had four scoring leaders and three of the four came off the bench: Otto Porter, Jr., Coby White, and Thaddeus Young.

Otto Porter, Jr. led all Bulls scorers with 23 points, four steals, and three rebounds in 25 minutes; Coby White recorded 23 points, eight assists, and three rebounds in 35 minutes; Thaddeus Young (a former Brooklyn Nets player) registered 17 points and five rebounds, and; Lauri Markkanen, a member of the starting five, chipped in 16 points and four assists in 26 minutes.

Coach Speak: Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen

“I thought we battled the whole game,” said Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen. “We were fighting uphill, but I thought our spirit was really good. I thought we had opportunities that were really good opportunities. I thought we left some money on the table in transition, but we kept playing, kept competing. Coby White, I thought, was terrific – 21 points, eight assists, and I think six rebounds. He was good. I thought Lauri Markkanen was active and moving around. Thaddeus Young kind of held it together for us there in the third quarter. A lot of good things. We made some big shots down the stretch too, to make it a one-possession game. We gave ourselves a chance but didn’t make enough plays at the end of the day.”

Up Next for the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets

So, what’s next for the Chicago Bulls?

The Chicago Bulls will return home to Chicago to host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. CT.

Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets have a four-game West Coast road trip:

• Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at 10:30 p.m. ET
• Golden State Warriors on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 10:30 p.m. ET
• Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, March 13, 2020, at 10:30 p.m. ET
• Sacramento Kings on Sunday, March 15, 2020, at 9:00 p.m. ET

The Brooklyn Nets will then return home to play the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Hopefully, the spread of the COVID-19 virus will have abated by then.

TIP-INS:

Spencer Dinwiddie has now scored 20-plus points in a single-season career-high 37 games this season in 63 games played for the Brooklyn Nets. He scored 20-plus points 18 times last season (in 68 games).

Since re-entering the Brooklyn Nets starting lineup on February 3, 2020, vs. Phoenix, Caris LeVert has averaged 24.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 32.8 minutes per contest for the Brooklyn Nets.

DeAndre Jordan recorded his 13th double-double of the season on Sunday and pulled down his eighth game of 15-plus rebounds this season.

Kyrie Irving held to 17 points, Spencer Dinwiddie gets 11, and Caris LeVert scores just six points; but rookie Nicolas Claxton shows promise with 14 points

Last night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the 18-22 Brooklyn Nets met up with the 37-6 Milwaukee Bucks, a team that is clearly on a mission to represent the NBA Eastern Conference in the 2020 NBA Finals and it wasn’t pretty. The Nets fell to 18-23 with their 117-97 loss to the Bucks last night, while the Bucks improved to 38-6 on the season with the victory.

How the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets by the numbers:

In terms of metrics, the Brooklyn Nets shined at the free-throw line. Brooklyn shot a season-high-tying .941 (16-of-17) from the free-throw line, which was previously done against the Phoenix Suns on November 10, 2019, at Phoenix (also 16-of-17 FT). The Nets also edged Milwaukee 18-13 in fast breakpoints.

However, Milwaukee shot .500 (45-of-90 FG) from the field last night compared to Brooklyn’s .333 (33 of 99 FG) from the field. From behind the arc, the Bucks outpaced the Nets 45.9 percent (17-of-37) to 30.6 percent (15-of-49), and of course, the Bucks’ 117 points overall to the Nets’ 97 points sealed the winning deal.

Milwaukee Bucks Leading Scorers

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo registered a game-high 29 points, 12 rebounds, along with four assists in 25 minutes. Khris Middleton added 20 points, four assists, four rebounds, and three steals in 29 minutes; Brook Lopez scored 12 points, seven rebounds, five blocked shots, and four assists in 26 minutes; Wesley Matthews accumulated 11 points and three assists in 27 minutes; Donte DiVincenzo came off the bench and also posted 11 points, with sides of six rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes, and; Kyle Korver chipped in 10 points in 17 minutes off the bench.

Coach Speak: Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer on the Bucks’ defense

“Brooklyn is a team that drives it a ton, like everybody in the league, a lot of pick-and-rolls too,” said Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer. “I thought the discipline in just getting over screens, playing without fouling, making them uncomfortable, making them hopefully get to spots that they don’t want to be in. Brook Lopez is always good in the paint. Giannis (Antetokounmpo) was good in the paint.”

Coach Speak: Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson on what was the most difficult part about playing the Milwaukee Bucks

“I thought our defense was actually decent,” responded Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson. “I’m not saying it was great or outstanding. I thought we fought defensively and offensively, obviously didn’t make shots. They’re the number one rim protection team in the league and I don’t know – I feel like, yes, we attacked the rim, but we also have to figure out how – against a great rim protecting team – maybe just make that extra pass, those extra two passes. I thought they were going against a wall, especially in the first half. I thought the second half we moved it a little better. I thought there were a ton of open threes. We knew we were going to get the threes, it didn’t go down, that makes it look worse. But credit to Milwaukee. I think they are playing as good as anybody I’ve seen in a while in this league. So just have to give them credit, give Bud (Mike Budenholzer) credit. They’re playing great basketball.”

Brooklyn Nets Scoring Leaders

Kyrie Irving led the Nets with 17 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a season-high four steals in 31 minutes. Brooklyn Nets rookie player, Nicolas Claxton, a member of the Nets second unit, scored a career-high 14 points (on a career-high 7-of-12 FG) with a career-high-tying six rebounds, and a career-high-tying three blocks in a career-high 19 minutes; Taurean Prince recorded 13 points in 24 minutes; Spencer Dinwiddie, who had been carrying the Brooklyn Nets in point-scoring during Kyrie Irving’s absence, registered 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists in 27 minutes, and; Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot chipped in 10 points and four rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.

Nets rookie Nicolas Claxton, who came off the bench against Milwaukee last night, told the media what kind of feedback he is receiving from Kenny Atkinson, Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks, and the Brooklyn Nets coaching staff.

“They all have been giving me great feedback,” said Claxton. “In Long Island, I’ve been solid, and that’s what they want, especially from a young guy like me who they’re really trying to develop. So, I’m just doing the best that I can with that.”

What’s Next for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets?

The Milwaukee Bucks will return home to Milwaukee to host the Chicago Bulls on Monday, January 20, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. CT.

Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets will host the Philadelphia 76ers at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn also on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 20, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. ET.

TIP-INS:

Taurean Prince’s second 3-pointer made last night against the Milwaukee Bucks was his 100th of the season, moving him past Joe Harris (99 threes) for the team lead. He now has made 101 threes on the season.

A new Big 3 arrives in Brooklyn to add firepower to the Brooklyn Nets which already feature standouts Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Joe Harris

When the news broke during the first moments of the 2019 NBA Free Agency that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant would be signing with the Brooklyn Nets, it was clear that this was the start of a new era in Brooklyn. Today, that notion was underscored and co-signed by the number of media that showed up to see and hear from these two NBA superstars at the Brooklyn Nets Media Day held at the Nets practice facility.

The event kicked off with Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson answering a myriad of questions from the media including: how the Irving – Durant deal came together, will Kevin Durant travel with the team to China (preseason), players Atkinson expects to see take the next step upwards, what it’s like working with elite basketball players, and more.

In his own words: Kenny Atkinson

Kyrie Irving Hits The Stage

Then the moment that everyone was waiting for, Kyrie Irving takes the stage. Before anyone could ask questions, Irving leaned in and laid it all out. Irving started off as though he was in a confessional, all that was missing was, forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.

“I’m incredibly grateful to be here,” Irving said. “It’s been a journey that I’ve taken numerous steps in different directions, and I’ve failed and succeeded…”

Uhhh, so where is this going?!

Irving went on to say that he was the mastermind behind bringing Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan to the Brooklyn Nets.

Meanwhile, in the weeks leading up to the announcement, the drumbeat that Irving and Durant would be signing with the New York Knicks grew louder with each passing day. So, how did Irving and company land in Brooklyn?

From Irving’s detailing of the sequence of events, it seemed like the Brooklyn Nets were in the lead for a good while. He went into detail about his decision-making and listed the factors that swayed his decision. Irving watched a good deal of Brooklyn Nets tape, he noticed that the players played hard, the Brooklyn Nets were a well-managed and coached team, New York City is close to home, and he grew up watching and rooting for the Nets, which was his hometown team when they played in New Jersey.

So, how did those so-called basketball insiders get this so wrong? Easy, they were probably not talking with Kyrie Irving and probably didn’t know that he used to root for the Nets in the Julius Erving days. Additionally, when people hear New York, they forget that Brooklyn is part of New York City.

But, getting back to the deal, at 4:16 a.m. before NBA free agency started in earnest, Irving, Durant, and Jordan were on the phone, FaceTime, specifically, when Irving asked if they were ready to do this. Indeed, they were, and Irving reached out to Nets general manager Sean Marks to get the ball rolling. He also let Marks know that it wasn’t just him, saying, “I had some other pieces I wanted to bring with me as well…”

Marks, talking about the signing of Irving and Durant at his press conference on Tuesday played it cool as if it was just another day at the office. But, listening to Kyrie Irving, one could only imagine the “happy dance” that Marks and his team were probably doing when he learned that Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Jordan were ready to sign with Brooklyn.

For the most part, Brooklyn Nets fans were exuberant at the news that Irving and Durant would be coming to Brooklyn and not the New York Knicks. However, some fans and reporters were wondering will Irving come and then leave Brooklyn high and dry like he did Boston. In answering the Boston issue without being asked, Irving stated, “nine months ago I was sitting in front of the Boston crowd saying that I wanted to re-sign. And after that, a lot of things happened in my personal life that really changed the landscape of how I felt about the game of basketball and actually playing it in a team environment, and that really affected me as a human being.”

“‘Hey…they loved me in Boston, I loved the Boston fans” Irving continued. “And then two weeks later things just got really, really rocky for me in terms of — when I left for, I believe you know, after the Phoenix game, I went to my grandfather’s memorial, and he passed on October 23rd and after he passed, basketball was the last thing on my mind. So, a lot of basketball and the joy I had from it was sucked away from me and there was a facial expression that I carried around with me throughout the year, didn’t allow anyone to get close to me in that instance and it really bothered me. I didn’t take the necessary steps to get counseling or get therapy or anything to deal with someone that close to me dying. I’ve never dealt with anything like that.”

At that moment, there was a momentum shift in the room, yes, Kyrie Irving is a basketball god, a basketball hero, but he is also a human being that grieves like the rest of us.

We also learned that Irving and Durant have a real bond and Irving is very protective of Durant which he made very clear when he recounted Durant’s injury to his Achilles.

“We all know K was not ready to play in that environment…we put him on a national stage to end up selling a product (that) came before the person,” Irving said as though they were fighting words.

So, if Irving has anything to do with it, don’t expect to see Kevin Durant on the court before he’s physically ready.

Kevin Durant Speaks, sort of

Speaking of Durant, when it was his turn to speak, it was more question and answer and a noticeable shift in the relationship with the media. While Kyrie was open and laying it all bare, Durant, was closely guarded and with good reason. Since his move to the Golden State Warriors from the Oklahoma City Thunder, some media people seem to be out to get him.

For Durant, the opportunity to play for the Brooklyn Nets with his friends at this moment in time was not to be taken lightly, “it’s very rare we could meet up at this point… to control our destinies.”

Durant also did his homework researching the Nets. He already knew Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert from working out with him last summer. But he researched Nets coach Kenny Atkinson.

“I was doing a lot of YouTube research on Kenny Atkinson and watching interviews to see how he talked after games and stuff,” Durant admitted. “I really liked his approach to his craft as a coach and that’s what drew me in pretty quickly.”

DeAndre Jordan

In every group, there seems to be someone who brings the comic relief and DeAndre Jordan was just what the doctor ordered. Jordan made it clear that as a veteran player at the center position, he will mentor Jarrett Allen, who is going into his third year, but the position will be competitive.

Jarrett, you have been put on notice.

What’s Next?

The Brooklyn Nets will play two games at home at the Barclays Center during the NBA preseason, on Friday, October 4, 2019, against the SESI/Franca Basketball Club (Brazil) and on Friday, October 18, 2019, against the Toronto Raptors. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.

The first regular-season home game is on Wednesday, October 23rd at 7:30 p.m., against the Minnesota Timberwolves, followed by the New York Knicks on Friday, October 25, 2019, also at 7:30 p.m.

With the NBA blockbuster signings during this NBA off-season, Caris LeVert, a young star will continue to shine in Brooklyn this season

From the moment the Brooklyn Nets acquired guard Caris LeVert in an NBA Draft night trade with the Indiana Pacers in 2016, you knew there must be something special about this young man. Why else would Nets general manager Sean Marks, who was only an NBA general manager for four months, risk his career giving up Thaddeus Young, a serviceable player, for an unknown rookie? Even though Nets ownership gave Marks wiggle room, he couldn’t totally strikeout. To many NBA observers at the time, this move was a head-scratcher.

Today, the Brooklyn Nets announced the signing of guard Caris LeVert to a three-year contract extension, one day after his 25th birthday.

So, how has LeVert performed over the years?

LeVert has appeared in 168 career games (61 starts) across three seasons with the Nets, recording averages of 11.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.0 steals in 24.8 minutes per contest.

This past season, LeVert set single-season career highs in points per game (13.7) and rebounds per game (3.8), which marked his third straight season of improvement in both categories, to go along with 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 26.6 minutes per game through 40 contests (25 starts). The 25-year-old averaged 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 29.7 minutes per game in his first 13 games prior to suffering a foot injury, and he capped off the 2018-19 campaign by registering averages of 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 28.9 minutes per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from 3-point range in Brooklyn’s five postseason games against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“Caris personifies what it means to be a Brooklyn Net, and we firmly believe his best basketball is in front of him,” said Marks. “The growth he has displayed in his first three seasons is a testament to his tireless work ethic, along with an unrelenting will to maximize his talents and achieve team success. Our entire organization is excited to continue to have Caris as one of the leaders of our program moving forward.”

Although the Nets did not disclose LeVert’s deal in financial terms, Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal to be about $52 million dollars for three years.

LeVert is eligible for his rookie extension as a member of the NBA’s draft class of 2016. His new deal will begin with the 2020-'21 season. https://t.co/JN3m1lkbLK

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2019

With the Brooklyn Nets new player composition, the Nets are on the map, and the competition is expected to be fierce

The NBA released its 2019-20 schedule of NBA games today, and the Brooklyn Nets followed showcasing their highly anticipated schedule. As one who has been regularly covering the Brooklyn Nets since its inaugural 2012-13 season in Brooklyn, I can tell you the first home game of the season at the Barclays Center is always thrilling. There’s electricity in the air, as excited diehard Nets fans are back to root for their team. However, if you follow NBA news, you know this season is going to be different. You will want to be at the Barclays Center when the Nets first game of the season tips off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, October 23rd, at Barclays Center.

And, if you’re asking why, go have a seat. Seriously, this will be the night that the Brooklyn Nets unveils its new roster to the public, which includes the long-awaited introduction of new players Kevin Durant (although Durant won’t be playing), Kyrie Irving, and DeAndre Jordan, as well as, returning fan favorites: Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Rodions Kurucs, Caris LeVert, Dzanan Musa, and Theo Pinson.

The Timberwolves will feature its standouts Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and former Nets players Treveon Graham and Shabazz Napier should be in the house, as they now play for the Timberwolves.

Over the course of the season, fans are going to be paying attention to see if Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson will be able to work his player development magic on 2019 NBA draftees Nicolas Claxton and Jaylen Hands, in addition to weaving into the Nets system new players Deng Adel, Wilson Chandler, Henry Ellenson, David Nwaba, Taurean Prince, and Garrett Temple.

Want to see Zion Williamson, the NBA’s 2019 No.1 Draft Pick, in Brooklyn? The Nets play his team, the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, November 4, 2019. It will be Williamson’s first NBA game in New York City during the regular NBA season.

If going out during the week isn’t your thing, you’re in luck because 18 of Brooklyn’s 41 home games will be played on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. And, if you’re good with arithmetic, you know that’s just under half of the home game schedule.

The Nets will also host five-afternoon matches, including a 3 p.m. game versus the Philadelphia 76ers on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 20, 2020.

Want to see the Nets’ first home game against 2019 NBA playoff foe, the Philadelphia 76ers featuring Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons? You can check them out on Sunday, December 5, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. Former Boston Celtics player, Al Horford, is now with the Sixers, so this offers a matchup between him and ex-Boston teammate and new Nets signee, Kyrie Irving.

A couch potato, or a Nets fan living in another city, you’re in luck. The Nets did so well last season, they will be featured on national television 20 times this season, six games on ESPN, six contests on TNT, and eight games on NBA TV.

If you prefer radio, Brooklyn Nets games will broadcast regionally on the YES Network for the 18th consecutive season and on WFAN radio for the 16th consecutive season.

The Nets will play two season-long four-game homestands this season, with the first beginning Tuesday, January 7, versus Oklahoma City and ending Tuesday, January 14, versus Utah, and the second spanning from Wednesday, March 18, versus Washington through Wednesday, March 25, versus the L.A. Clippers. The month of January will feature a season-high 10 home contests.

Brooklyn’s longest stint away from the Barclays Center will come in November, when they embark on a nine-day, five-game road trip, beginning on Friday, November 8, at Portland and concluding in Chicago on Saturday, November 16.

The team’s schedule also includes 11 back-to-back sets. And, you know how players hate back-to-back games.

You can see the full Nets schedule here.

With the player moves that Nets general manager Sean Marks made over the summer, this Nets season is highly anticipated. Expect games to be sold out, so don’t wait until the last minute, get your tickets as soon as possible. This Brooklyn Nets season is going to be lit!

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent guard/forward Garrett Temple. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

“Garrett is an excellent culture fit who can guard multiple positions and provide a stabilizing presence on both ends of the court,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “His high IQ and strong leadership qualities will be welcome additions to our team. We look forward to welcoming Garrett and his family to Brooklyn.”

Temple joins the Nets after spending the 2018-19 season with the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers, appearing in 75 games (career-high 55 starts) and registering averages of 7.8 points, a career-high 2.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 steals, in a career-high 27.2 minutes per game. The 33-year-old has seen action in 514 career games (211 starts) split between Houston (2010), Sacramento (2010, 2016-18), San Antonio (2010), Milwaukee (2011), Charlotte (2011), Washington (2012-16), Memphis (2018-19) and the Clippers (2019), posting career averages of 5.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 20.3 minutes per contest. Temple is a career 35.3 percent shooter from 3-point range and shot a single-season career-high 39.2 percent from distance in 2017-18 with Sacramento. He’s also appeared in 26 career playoff games over four postseason appearances, most recently with the Clippers this past season.

The Baton Rouge, La., native went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft after a four-year collegiate career (2005-09) at Louisiana State, where he earned All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Defensive Team honors as a senior.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward Wilson Chandler. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

“Wilson is an experienced leader who will bring a veteran presence to our frontcourt rotation,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “His team-first mentality and high character will be excellent additions to our culture, both on and off the court. We are excited to welcome Wilson and his family to Brooklyn.”

Chandler (6’9, 225) joins the Nets after splitting the 2018-19 season between the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers. In 51 games (33 starts), the 32-year-old registered averages of 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and, 1.6 assists in 23.1 minutes per contest while shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from 3-point range (the second-best 3-point field goal percentage in a season in his career). Chandler has appeared in 641 career games (480 starts) with New York (2007-11), Denver (2011-18), Philadelphia (2018-19) and the Clippers (2019), averaging 12.9 points (44.4 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from 3-point range), 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.5 minutes per game. The Benton Harbor, Mich., native has also seen action in 15 career postseason games, most recently appearing in four games with the Clippers in the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

Chandler was originally selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks after a two-year collegiate career (2005-07) at DePaul University, where he earned Second Team All-Big East honors as a sophomore.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward/center Nicolas Claxton, the 31st overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, to a multi-year contract. 

Claxton (6’11, 215) spent two collegiate seasons at the University of Georgia (2017-19). As a sophomore, the forward/center averaged a team-high 13.0 points, 8.6 rebounds (third in the SEC), 1.1 steals and 2.5 blocks (10th in the nation) while adding 1.8 assists in 31.6 minutes per game on his way to being named to the All-SEC Second Team. Overall, Claxton appeared in 65 games for the Bulldogs, averaging 8.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and, 1.9 blocks in 23.0 minutes per contest. The 20-year-old finished his career ranked No. 8 on UGA’s all-time blocks list (123).

A native of Greenville, S.C., Claxton has also represented the U.S. Virgin Islands in international competition. He is currently competing for Brooklyn’s NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Brooklyn Nets trade DeMarre Carroll to San Antonio Spurs in a three-team trade

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired the draft rights to guard/forward Nemanja Dangubic from the San Antonio Spurs and the draft rights to forward Aaron White from the Washington Wizards. Brooklyn has traded forward DeMarre Carroll to San Antonio, and Washington has acquired forward Davis Bertans from San Antonio to complete the three-team deal.

Dangubic (6’9, 195) was originally selected with the 54th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by Philadelphia and subsequently had his rights traded to San Antonio. The 26-year-old Serbian native most recently played for Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga in Germany.

White (6’9, 230) was originally selected with the 49th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by Washington after a four-year collegiate career (2011-15) at the University of Iowa. The 26-year-old Ohio native most recently played for Zalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian League.

Carroll was originally acquired by Brooklyn in a trade with the Toronto Raptors on July 13, 2017. In 140 games (81 starts) in two seasons with the Nets, Carroll averaged 12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 27.7 minutes per game. He also appeared in all five of Brooklyn’s postseason games in 2019. In 10 NBA seasons with Memphis (2009-10), Houston (2011), Denver (2011-12), Utah (2012-13), Atlanta (2013-15), Toronto (2015-17) and Brooklyn (2017-19), Carroll holds career averages of 9.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.2 minutes per contest in 554 games (339 starts).

“We would like to thank DeMarre for everything he brought to our team both on and off the court during his two seasons in Brooklyn and wish him and his family nothing but the best moving forward,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks.

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired forward Taurean Prince and a 2021 second-round draft pick from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for guard/forward Allen Crabbe, the draft rights to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who was selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and a protected 2020 first-round draft pick.

“We’re excited to welcome Taurean and his family to Brooklyn,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “Taurean is an athletic frontcourt player who brings defensive toughness and versatility to our team, and we believe he’ll be a strong fit in Kenny’s system.

“We would also like to thank Allen for his contributions during his two seasons in Brooklyn, and we wish him the best of luck in Atlanta.”

Prince (6’8, 220) has appeared in 196 career games (139 starts) over three seasons with Atlanta, posting averages of 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 25.5 minutes per contest. As a rookie, he saw action in 59 games (10 starts), registering averages of 5.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game while shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from 3-point range. He also appeared in five games with Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, pursuant to the league’s flexible assignment rule. Prince then appeared in and started all 82 games in his second NBA season, improving his numbers across the board by posting averages of 14.1 points (42.6 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from 3-point range), 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.0 minutes per contest. He was named to the Team USA roster at the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. In 2018-19, the 25-year-old recorded averages of 13.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.2 minutes per game through 55 games (47 starts) while improving his field goal percentage (44.1 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage (39.0 percent) for the third straight season. Originally selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, Prince was acquired by Atlanta in a three-team trade on July 7, 2016. The Texas native played four collegiate seasons at Baylor, where he earned All-Big 12 First Team honors as a senior and received the Big 12 Sixth Man Award as a junior.

Crabbe was acquired in a trade with Portland on July 25, 2017, and appeared in 118 games (88 starts) over two seasons with the Nets, recording averages of 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 28.2 minutes per contest. In 344 career games (112 starts) over six seasons with Brooklyn and Portland, Crabbe has averaged 9.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.6 minutes per game.