One likely wouldn’t have happened without the other.
It’s hard not to get lost in the Nets’ red-hot 3-point shooting during their 125-108 win over the Bulls on Friday night.
They erupted for 25-for-44 shooting from 3-point range, 18 of which came in the second half — tied for the most 3s made in any half in the NBA this season.
It also broke the team’s franchise record of 16, which was set earlier this season.
Their 25 made 3s likely don’t represent a sustainable model going forward, and interim coach Kevin Ollie admitted as much after the game.
But what helped spark that shooting barrage — their defensive performance — can be.
“Once we got stops, we just got confidence on the other end,” Mikal Bridges said after the game. “We [were] looking for each other, sharing the ball. But yeah, it really just starts on defense, man, bringing this energy. I think we [were] lacking energy, and then in the beginning of the third [quarter], we came out and played hard.”
The Nets trailed 52-47 at halftime and gave up 85 points through three quarters, but held the Bulls to just 23 points in the fourth quarter.
The Bulls shot a paltry 16.7 percent from behind the arc in the quarter.
And the Nets’ offense subsequently came alive, shooting 65.0 percent from the field and 81.8 percent from 3-point range in the fourth quarter, pouring in 39 points.
Though the defensive results improved later in the game, Ollie thought his side’s effort on that end of the court was consistent.
“They kind of stayed with their defense,” Ollie said. “I think we talked about at halftime kind of getting back in transition a little bit. We gave up a couple possessions in transition. But I thought our defense was solid pretty much the whole night. And then the shots went in and then we turned it on.
“But I didn’t think our defense waned a little bit. We had a couple mistakes out there doing some different matchups, but I thought our defense was pretty tight the whole game, and then when the shots went, of course they’re gonna get even more energized. But I didn’t think our defense was that bad even when we [were] missing shots in the first half.”
The Nets’ defense has stood out more than anything during their three-game win streak, which has staved off elimination, for now, and delivered some rare good vibes after a six-game losing skid and otherwise wildly disappointing season.
They recorded a 108.2 defensive rating in those three games — ninth-best in the NBA during that stretch.
Despite regression almost across the board since Ollie took over for Jacque Vaughn during the All-Star break, defense has been one of the only areas the Nets have actually improved under Ollie’s tutelage.
The Nets own a 111.7 defensive rating since the All-Star break, good for 11th-best in the league.
Before the All-Star break, it was 116.8 — 21st in the NBA.
“It didn’t start like that [defensively Friday night],” Bridges said. “We [were] getting stops coming out of that third quarter, besides right at the beginning. I think all [those] shots came from confidence that we’ll get stops. I think they scored 19 — or 23 — that fourth [quarter], but we were just playing good defense. I think that’s what it was. And then we make the shots and get stops, it’s gonna spread out a little bit.”
In a lost season, perhaps it’s something small to build on.
“It’s just one of the closest teams I’ve been on, it’s one of the better teams as far as being together during tough times, being together,” Cam Thomas said. “We [are] all just sticking together. Obviously the wins haven’t resulted in that, but at the end of day, we just gotta keep finding solutions and just try to win every game we can.”
