Nets are 9-1 in their last 10 games, a league-best record

The Brooklyn Nets are 9-1 in their last 10 games, leading the NBA over this stretch. On Friday, in their 119-116 road win over the Toronto Raptors, Kyrie Irving knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The seven-time All-Star led Brooklyn in scoring with 32 points in 35 minutes played. In addition to finishing with three rebounds and five assists, Irving shot 13-of-22 (59.1%) from the floor and 3-of-9 (33.3%) at 3-point range.

Based on a few NBA betting sites, the Nets have the eighth-best odds to win the championship in 2023. Some sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.

Kyrie last 10 games:

25 PPG
5 RPG
5 APG
50/38/90%

Nets are 10-3 since he came back — the best record in the NBA in that span. pic.twitter.com/1DF6vZmOpI

— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 16, 2022

“Honestly, I was thinking basket,” the Nets guard said on his clutch shot. “I saw Juancho [Hernangomez] come over a little bit earlier, so I decided to pull it back and took my time, got my balance underneath me.”

Kevin Durant ended his performance with 28 points, four boards, three assists, and one steal in 37 minutes of action. The two-time NBA champ has the ninth-best odds to win MVP this season.

“He was already cooking so I didn’t want to get in his way,” Durant said of Irving. “I felt like he could get whatever he wanted there. I also felt like they weren’t going to run and double him, either. They let him play 1-on-1 and it was a special, special shot.”

Nets are 9-1 overall in their past 10 games, an NBA-best record

While the Nets are 9-1 in their past 10 games, the Eastern Conference contender now seems to have a new identity under coach Jacque Vaughn. They are 16-5 with Vaughn. And the team is 10-3 since Irving served his eight-game suspension for posting a link to an anti-Semitic film on Twitter.

Moreover, the team is finally starting to show signs of life. Following a 2-5 start to begin the season under former coach Steve Nash, quite a few bettors had already counted out Brooklyn. Of course, the players are now focused on winning, nothing else.

We don’t recognize the Nash era around here

Nets are the second best team in basketball this year record wise 🤷‍♂️ https://t.co/yPMvTvb0fD

— BKN 85 (@brooklynnets85) December 17, 2022

With T.J. Warren and Ben Simmons healthy, the Nets have a better shot of finishing with a top-3 seed in their conference. Durant leads Brooklyn in scoring, averaging 29.9 points per game, but even the two-time Finals MVP needs support from his teammates.

After defeating Toronto, the Nets are 18-12 and rank fourth in the East. They trail the top-seeded Celtics by four games. However, Brooklyn ranks 16th in scoring, averaging a total of 112.7 points per game. Fortunately, they are also shooting 50.3% from the field, ranking second behind the Denver Nuggets (50.7%).

As for their defense, the Nets are allowing 111.1 points per contest, which ranks ninth overall. Their defensive efficiency rating sits at the 11th spot (1.090). Brooklyn’s 9-1 record speaks volumes, all things considered. Will the Nets return to the Eastern Conference Finals this season? Stay tuned.