Seth Curry’s winning return Friday night underscored his importance to the Nets over the rest of the season. He drove that point home with every point he scored in the Nets’ comeback win over the T…
When the injured Seth Curry had to sit on the bench and watch alongside everybody else as Kevin Durant got double- and even triple-teamed was a stark lesson in how other NBA teams could — and should — play the Nets when Curry is off the floor.
Durant faced constant double-teams any time he got the ball across half court, sometimes even getting blitzed by a third defender. The result was a Nets loss as a frustrated Durant was held to 40.0 percent shooting, his worst since Nov. 30.In his return Friday, Curry ensured that didn’t happen again.
“It was huge … he had 27, 9-for-14, efficient from all angles on the floor,” Durant said. “We needed that, and it was good to see him back out there. Missed a few games with that ankle, but I’m glad it’s getting better and he’s able to come out here and play. And we needed all those points.” Without Curry on the floor, the Nets entered Saturday with an offensive rating that was tied for seventh in the league and an effective field-goal percentage that was tied for 13th. Their 119.3 and .567 marks with Curry playing were both runaway leaders.