The Nets lose on the road against the Hawks, as Kevin Durant goes off for 55 points to set a new career-high. (3:20)
The Brooklyn Nets star scored a career-high 55 points in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, but he wasn't focused on the numbers.
Brooklyn allowed the Hawks to go to the free throw line 49 times compared with just 19 attempts for the Nets, and that was something that was frustrating to him.
They put them in the bonus early every quarter. It was not because of the refs, but because we were reaching and being undisciplined. That is the game. They shot 42% from the field and 31 from the 3. They outrebounded us by two and assisted us by one. If we want to be a winning team, we cannot do that.
With the loss, the 40-38 Nets slid into 10th place in the Eastern Conference. The Nets were left without Goran Dragic, Bruce Brown, and Seth Curry, and they should have been celebrating the brilliance of KD.
Nets guard Kyrie Irving said that it didn't feel like he had 55. The way we feel after the game.
For his part, the man who finished the night 19-for-28 from the field, 8-for-10 from beyond the line, 9-for-11 from the foul line and added seven assists in 42 minutes said this particular loss wasn't any more disappointing.
Every loss is deflating and I am just mad at the loss. I shot the ball well. I made eight 3s, a career high, but I wish we would have gotten a W by doing the little things. My points are going to come, my shots are going to come, but the little stuff that we have to do, we have to be on the same page with.
Irving struggled to find a rhythm on either end of the floor. He finished just 12-for-32 from the field and took full accountability for needing to do a better job defensively in the post and playing without fouling.
Irving said that they need to ease his burden on the offensive end. We know who he is. We know what he can do, but we have to support him. We have to be ready to play just as much as he is and not allow frustration to get the better of us.
Despite the loss, the Nets can still get back on track before the play-in tournament starts.
"I can't come in here and act like I'm losing confidence." That is how I feel.
On Saturday, the Nets wasted an all-time performance by KD in a career that has been full of Hall of Fame-worthy highlights. The low was so low that they couldn't enjoy the high of his personal achievement.
Nets coach Steve Nash said they didn't play a good game.
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