Patty Mills has a close friend with very little exposure to the game of basketball, but his philosophy around the sport is one that Mills consistently reminds himself of when he’s on the floor.
“Put ball in basket,” is his friend’s sacred mantra.
Mills struggled to manifest those words in recent games for the Nets, but he broke out of his shooting slump in historic fashion on Sunday, hitting nine 3-pointers off the bench in Brooklyn’s win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City.
Mills didn’t change anything pregame, just simply reminded himself of his friend’s simplistic, but wise, outlook on the sport he knows nearly nothing about.
“It’s amazing, because it’s simple as that sometimes,” Mills said.
Mills’ nine triples are the most by a non-starter in Nets franchise history, and the most in the league so far this season. He finished with 29 points, a season-high, and was a huge boost for a Nets offense that lost sharpshooter Joe Harris to an ankle injury in the first half.
“Nine threes is pretty good to me,” James Harden said. “That’s the beauty of it. It’s a long season and you have tough games, tough stretches, but Patty is a vet. He’s been through a lot and he knows how to get himself out.”
Mills has always possessed a breakout potential with his long-range shooting, which he showed in his first two games of the season, starting a perfect 10-for-10 from downtown, the first seven coming on opening night. The Nets saw how badly they missed a consistent 3-point shooter in last year’s playoffs, when Harris went ice cold, and Mills can now represent another breakout threat down the road. He may fall into a lull at times, but his teammates have no doubt that he can, and will, come alive when they need it most.
“Patty missed a few shots the last couple games, so we knew he was due for a big night,” Kevin Durant said. “His work ethic is top of the line, so it was a matter of time before he started knocking those down, and tonight he got it going, and that’s what we need.”
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