In what was a thriller, the Brooklyn Nets put on a show against the Dallas Mavericks, erasing a 17-point deficit to defend their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference in style.
The Nets’ stars in Kevin Durant (24 PTS, 7 REBS) and James Harden (23 PTS, 12 ASTS) were off to a cold start. They just weren’t converting on shots that they tend to make, but fortunately for them, LaMarcus Aldridge (15 PTS) and James Johnson (12 PTS) kept them in the game until the moment of truth came.
Going into the fourth quarter, Brooklyn trailed by 11 and Luka Doncic (28 PTS, 9 ASTS) was just playing around with their defense. Durant and Harden made sure put an end to that though by answering the call when their team needed them the most.
Every offensive possession and every defensive stance was so precious down the stretch, yet the two led the way so eloquently to give their team a little glimpse of victory at the end of the tunnel. In particular, Patty Mills (10 PTS) was having an off-night going into the quarter, but the duo kept trusting him to knock down big shots when Dallas started doubling. Mills made sure to deliver.
What was key though for the Nets down the stretch as well was Nic Claxton’s (6 PTS, 9 REBS) presence defensively. When the Mavericks were having a blast, dancing all up in the paint in the first three quarters, Claxton put an end to that along with some perimeter defense. They still managed to outscore Brooklyn 46-40 in the interior.
Even so, the Nets won the battle on the glass, outrebounding 50-39. As Brooklyn held Dallas to 40% accuracy from the field despite them taking seven more shots, they made sure to punish them on the other end. Shooting it an impressive 51% from the field. In a game where the Mavericks only turned the ball over four times, Brooklyn showed up when it mattered anyway.
Nets head coach Steve Nash and his squad will try and feed off of this momentum on Wednesday when they take on the Houston Rockets.