The Nets had just finished off the Bulls' core player Derek Ross's fifth consecutive game missed due to injury. The Nets, seizing this opportunity, saw Jose Calderon handing over an impressive game on the stats sheet. "There is no doubt that tonight we played our best defense of the season. We took the lead early and established an advantage," Calderon said. The Bulls only made seven of their first 22 shots in the opening section, shooting a mere 32%, while the Nets reached 67% (14 out of 21). Additionally, the Bulls only managed 45% from the free-throw line in the first quarter, converting 5 out of 11 attempts. The Bulls' defenders, Ross and Richard Hamilton, are recovering from injuries, and coach Tom Thibodeau says they will be back soon. As today's starting point guard for the Bulls, C.J. Watson left the game in the third quarter due to an injury after being hit by Chris亨弗里斯. The Nets' rookie, Ma Xiao'en Brooks, scored 19 points today, showing quite promising form this season.
"Sometimes, the tone of the game is set in the first quarter. Although the Nets don't have a great record, this is the NBA. If a team starts hitting a lot of goals and gets into their rhythm, it's very difficult to disrupt that rhythm," said the Bulls' defender Mike James. Thibodeau clearly agreed with James' statement. "People say in the NBA it's all about the last five minutes slugfest," Thibodeau said, "but no, it's not."
The Nets shocked everyone with a 97-85 victory over the Bulls, ending Anthony Davis' close to two-game absence. The Nets shocked everyone with a 97-85 victory over the Bulls.
(Note: Some names like "Ma Xiao'en Brooks" might be mistranslations or misinterpretations from the original text. In the context of NBA games, some names may not directly correspond to well-known players, and certain phrases might need clarification based on accurate player names.)