One trend developing in Jason Kidd’s first year as a head coach is the importance he places on rewarding players for their effort.

It was evident again on Sunday night when Coach Kidd noticed the great effort of his second unit, and rewarded the group with extended playing time. Five Nets reserves saw 20 minutes of game action or more to help Brooklyn bounce back from a tough loss on Friday in Detroit with a 93-81 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at the Barclays Center.

“I thought they played great,” Coach Kidd said of his second unit. “They executed, and I think they gave the starters a big lift because they got the lead, they built the lead and they kept the lead.”

The biggest lift of those reserves came from rookie Mason Plumlee, who had a career night with 22 points and 13 rebounds — both career highs — in over 28 minutes of game action. Plumlee finished 8-of-10 from the field and also had three steals and a pair of blocks.

“He brings youth, athletic ability, fresh young legs and the ability to catch and finish,” Coach Kidd said. “You can see the hard work he’s put in this summer. I think also his teammates believe in him, and that’s something that you have to give him credit for, listening to veteran guys like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, and them for being able to help him understand the NBA game.”

Plumlee’s big effort came on a night when none of Brooklyn’s five starters hit double digits in the scoring column. The starting group did however, get the game off on the right foot, building an 11-0 lead in just over four minutes, forcing a timeout from New Orleans coach Monty Williams.

Coach Kidd’s first two substitutions came shortly thereafter, Mirza Teletovic for Pierce and Andray Blatche for Garnett. But Blatche picked up two quick fouls and Plumlee entered to replace him after two minutes with the Nets up 19-9. By the end of the first, which was punctuated by a Plumlee dunk with an assist from Deron Williams, the Nets lead was 29-14.

“Any time we can rest our older guys – it’s no secret we’re old, so we look at this as a win in a couple of ways,” Plumlee said. “We can rest them and keep them fresh, and going into All-Star break that’s good.”

Brooklyn’s bench carried the day in the second quarter with Williams and Shaun Livingston the only starters who saw even a little time before the half. Plumlee scored 12 of his 22 in the second and by halftime the Nets were staked to a 23-point lead. Jason Terry, who finished with five assists — four of them to Plumlee — including the 5,000th dime of his career, said afterward that the reserve crew felt obligated to make an impression and was please Coach Kidd noticed it.

“Our job as a bench is to come out and make an impact on the game, and we did that tonight and J-Kidd rewarded us with lengthy playing time,” Terry said. “So it felt good, we got the win and we must continue to get better as a unit as a bench. They’re going to need us, especially down the stretch. There’s going to be some games where we’re going to be called upon to make shots, get stops, just make an impact on the game.”

New Orleans bounced back in the third quarter against Brooklyn’s starters, trimming the Nets lead as low as seven points. But Williams knocked in a buzzer beater to end the third and Brooklyn carried that momentum into the fourth where the reserves closed out the victory.

Jason Kidd, Mason Plumlee

Mason Plumlee has learned from Coach Kidd and several veteran teammates in his rookie season.

Plumlee stated after the game that though he plays as a reserve his mentality from game-to-game is that of a starter and he’s glad he’s gotten to prove himself to Coach Kidd and Nets GM Billy King in his rookie season.

“As a player, you always prepare to play. You have your own vision of how things are going to happen,” Plumlee said. “I know on draft night, people saw the trade, they knew

[the Nets] had Dray, they had Brook. I’m just like, ‘I’m going to be ready to play when they need me, try to earn some minutes and we’ll go from there.’ I don’t think Jason Kidd or Billy expected me to play that much. I’m just grateful they’ve given me the opportunity to earn their trust on the floor.”

Sunday’s win improved the Nets to 15-11 on their home court this season. They are 9-2 at home and 13-5 overall since the beginning of the 2014 calendar year.

“Guys are playing well since the New Year,” Coach Kidd said. “We understand the importance of trying to protect home and right now that’s what we’re doing.”

NEXT UP

The Nets (23-26) won’t be back in action until Wednesday night when they play their final home game before the All-Star break against the Charlotte Bobcats (22-29).

Charlotte currently sits in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the seventh-place Nets. Friday’s loss in Detroit ensured Brooklyn won’t be able to jump above the .500 mark before the break, but Coach Kidd was encouraged by their short memory and the resilience they showed Sunday.

“Every game is going to be different. There are 82 to be played and they’re all not going to be the same,” Jason said. “From the performance in Detroit, the one thing that’s good is that we have [the ability] of forgetting and moving forward. That’s what this group has done all season and it showed [Sunday].”

Wednesday’s tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. and the game can be seen on YES Network.

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