Despite a terrific performance by the Brooklyn Nets tonight, they suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Warriors 107-99 in overtime. The Nets now fall to 1-9, and their hopes of having a “last hurrah” season are starting to fade.
Right from the start of the game, the Nets played with high energy and hustle. After the game got close at 15-13, the Nets popped off a 12-0 run, and they finished the 1st quarter with a 36-21 lead. Thaddeus Young was absolutely on fire tonight, as he scored 16 points in the 1st quarter alone. He finished with 26 points on 12-22 from the field, and he grabbed 10 boards as well.
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Nov 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) drives to the hoop against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) in the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
One of the biggest bright spots for the Nets was rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who took advantage of extended minutes tonight with his best performance of the season. He scored 7 points on 3-6 from the field, and he had a couple nice mid-range shots. He also snagged a team high 13 rebounds, including 4 offensive; he also had two steals and a block. Hollis-Jefferson seems to improve with each game, and if he continues to develop his offensive game, he could be a star.
Brook Lopez continued his road-trip struggles tonight, shooting just 8-21 from the field. He has not been getting a lot of foul calls recently, and he has been seemingly frustrated. He has missed a lot of shots that he had been making early in the season, and he seems to have lost his touch on his runners and floaters, as well as his mid range shot. With 0.5 seconds remaining in the game, he missed a point-blank tip in on an inbound pass from Joe Johnson, which could have won the game for the Nets. Lopez has to start performing better if the Nets are going to win more games.
Despite good games from Thaddeus Young and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the best player on the court for the Nets tonight was point guard Jarrett Jack. After starting slowly this season, Jack has had back to back incredible games, scoring 28 points and dishing 9 dimes tonight. Jack had the ball in clutch moments tonight, and he capitalized on his opportunities. If Jack can continue this level of play, the Nets will continue to be as competitive as they were against the reigning NBA champs.
Despite the eventual loss, the Nets’ overall level of play was far beyond expectations tonight. Most people wrote this game off as an obvious blowout before it started, but it turned out to be one of the most exciting games of the season. While the Nets ended up losing the game, they showed signs of the team that they have been over the past few years. Look for the Nets to take the good from this game and move on to face the Hawks at home on Tuesday.