Brooklyn Nets Knock Off Pistons in Thriller Thanks to Brook Lopez Buzzer-Beater

147. 96. 64. Final. 98

The Brooklyn Nets faced off against the Detroit Pistons for the second time this season. In a thrilling, tight game, the Nets came out on top, 98-96.

On Tuesday night, the Nets faced off against the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons. This was the second of three meetings between the two teams, which saw the Nets without Jeremy Lin after he sprained his ankle in a Sunday Matinee matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.

Off the tip, the Pistons gained possession and were off to the races. Detroit opened up a 7-2 lead and looked dominant until Brook Lopez became too much for the Pistons, as the Nets answered with their own 9-1 run. Brooklyn had an early 11-8 lead. The Nets and Pistons battled for most of the first quarter, but eventually, it was Detroit that went on a run and ended the first with a 31-22 lead.

The second quarter seemed to be much of the same. The Nets played solid defense, and their offense began to pick up, but the Pistons still fought and maintained the lead for most of the period. However, a nice run by the Nets helped them seize control of the lead, and they led 50-44 at halftime after outscoring the Pistons 28-13 in the second quarter.

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After the break, the Nets continued getting contributions from Lopez and Caris LeVert, who was a big part of the Nets’ second quarter as well. Archie Goodwin played a major role in the Nets’ third quarter play as well, flexing and spinning all over Detroit. The Nets extended their lead to nine and held a 74-65 advantage at the end of three.

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The fourth quarter consisted of a back-and-forth contest with many blows and runs. Lopez stayed hot, but the Pistons just wouldn’t go away. The Pistons tied the game at 94 before two LeVert free throws gained the Nets the lead with under a minute to go. A late defensive stop from Isaiah Whitehead gave the Nets a brief advantage, but Tobias Harris‘ shot tied the game with 2.4 seconds left on the clock. Brooklyn turned to Lopez for the game-winner, and Lopez would hit a buzzer-beating fadeaway at the horn, securing the victory for the Nets.

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With this win, Nets improve to 14 wins on the season. The Pistons drop to a 34-37 record and sit one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the East’s eighth seed.