The force was with the Brooklyn Nets on Star Wars Night in Brooklyn as six Nets scored in double digits and Caris LeVert made his NBA debut. The Nets defeat the Nuggets 116-111 and have now beat Denver in their last six meetings.
Brook Lopez led the Nets in scoring with 24 points and he grabbed 8 rebounds. Sean Kilpatrick grabbed 6 boards to compliment his 22 points matching his average (22ppg) over the last seven games. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 points going 8-for-11 (73 percent) from the field. Trevor Booker hustled for another double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Isaiah Whitehead had the best all-around game of his young career, scoring 14 points, two assists, two rebounds, four steals and one block.
Nets started hot with an 11-to-2 run to start the game, which included a beautiful post-up fade by Booker capped off with an and-1 from Brook. With 7:52 left in the first, the Nuggets finally called a timeout since Brooklyn led Denver 15-to-2. The Nets ended up shooting 16-of-25 on 64 percent shooting to end the first quarter with a 36-to-23 lead.
The second quarter started and so did the NBA career of Caris LeVert. The rookie from Michigan made an immediate impact with three steals and three rebounds in five minutes. The entire Nets squad maintained their aggression, driving to the rim throughout the first half. Bogdanovic, the only Net to start every game this season, had 11 points in the second quarter.
More from Nothin' But Nets
- Nets star Mikal Bridges labeled top ‘trade target’ for serious title contender
- LAST CHANCE: Get $2,500 Bonus for Any NBA Draft Bet Before FanDuel Promo Expires Sunday
- Bet365 New Jersey Bonus: Bet $1, Win $200 GUARANTEED on ANY NBA Finals Bet Tonight!
- BetRivers NJ Promo: Bet $500 on the NBA/NHL Finals, Get a Bonus-Bet Refund if You Miss!
- DraftKings New Jersey Promo: Bet $5, Win $150 INSTANTLY on ANY NBA Playoff Game!
The Nets led the Nuggets 68-to-52 at half and five Nets scored in double digits. Lopez had the game high at half with 14 points and Bogdanovic scored 13 points (6-for-7) on 86 percent shooting. Whitehead, Booker and Joe Harris all scored 10. The Nets were shooting about 54 percent from the field and 56 percent from beyond the arc. Booker also grabbed 7 rebounds over the “Manimal” Kenneth Faried. The Nets attempted only nine three pointers in the first half, their fewest attempts on the season.
The Nets and Nuggets entered the dreaded third quarter as two teams are in the bottom five for second half scoring differential. The Nets continued to show up while the Nuggets didn’t. Denver’s coach Mike Malone got thrown out of the game after storming onto the court to argue with a referee with 7:43 left in the quarter. For the third time this season the Nets outscored their opponents in the third quarter, 28-to-27, and maintained their lead 96-79 going into the fourth.
The Nets had a season high 29 point lead during the third which dwindled down to eight in the fourth. With 16 seconds left in the game the Nuggets cut it down to two points, 111-109 before Kilpatrick finally put the game away. Brooklyn escaped with a 116-111 win for their sixth win of the season.
The Nets are now 6-15 on the season. Brooklyn now has two consecutive days off, as the Nets will resume play on Saturday with a tough matchup at the San Antonio Spurs.