Nets’ Fourth Quarter Turnovers Prevent Successful Comeback Against Hornets

The Brooklyn Nets completed the second half of their back-to-back against the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night. They fell short in Charlotte, losing 112-105.

Both the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets came into their matchup off blowout wins the previous night. The Nets beat the New Orleans Pelicans by a 29-point margin, while the Hornets beat the Toronto Raptors by 35 points.

As usual in back-to-back sets, the Nets rested a player, this time being Justin Hamilton. Joe Harris was out with a sprained ankle, while Sean Kilpatrick and Trevor Booker returned to the starting lineup after resting the previous night.

The Nets got off to a slow start after scoring the first four points of the game. While Brooklyn went scoreless for a six-minute period in the opening period, Charlotte went on a 16-0 run, led by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker, and Cody Zeller. At the end of the first quarter, the Hornets led 28-14, the second time this season the Nets scored just 14 points in one quarter.

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Brooklyn began to wake up in the second quarter. Three baskets from downtown brought the Nets back within seven points, 32-25, forcing a Hornets timeout. This was one of two times the Nets cut the Hornets’ lead to seven in the period, as Caris LeVert‘s baskets and plays lifted Brooklyn to a 49-42 deficit with three minutes remaining in the half. That was as close as they would get.

Throughout the period, both teams exchanged countless shots from behind the arc, but the Nets could not contain the Hornets’ sharp shooting. At halftime, Charlotte held a 60-46 lead.

The differences in shooting were staggering — the Nets shot 37 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from long distance, while the Hornets shot 54.5 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from long range.

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Brooklyn came out hot to open up the third, as one three-pointer by Bojan Bogdanovic and another by Sean Kilpatrick trimmed the Hornets’ lead to 10, 62-52. This was the beginning of a 15-4 Nets run in the period to make it a three-point game, 64-61.

The Nets continued their hot streak throughout the quarter, knocking down six of their nine three-point attempts. With just seconds remaining in the quarter, a Randy Foye three gave the Nets their first lead, 81-79, since 4-2 in the first quarter. Brooklyn outscored Charlotte 35-21 in the third and erased a 14-point deficit, tying the game at 81 to enter the final quarter.

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For most of the fourth quarter, both teams exchanged baskets, with numerous lead changes. However, Nicolas Batum completed a four-point play with 3:20 remaining and hit another three on the following possession, lifting the Hornets to a six-point lead, 104-98. A Kemba Walker trey capped off a 10-0 run by Charlotte.

With just over a minute left, the Nets trailed 107-101 and got many good looks from behind the arc, but could not convert on any of them. Trevor Booker by tallying one rebound and one steal, but Kilpatrick lost the ball after Booker’s steal.

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After a timeout with 28 seconds remaining, the Hornets nearly turned the ball over, though on replay, it appeared the ball went off Marco Belinelli. However, the officials did not review the play, and Charlotte retained possession. Ultimately, the Nets’ comeback was not enough to contain the Hornets.

The Hornets were powered by their entire team, with four starters (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, and Cody Zeller) and three reserves (Frank Kaminsky III, Ramon Sessions, and Marco Belinelli) finishing in double figures.

In the loss, Brook Lopez led the Nets with 24 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Bojan Bogdanovic added 16 points. Quincy Acy and Randy Foye contributed 14 points and 11 points off the bench, respectively.

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The Nets fall to 9-34 on the season, while the Hornets improve to 23-21. Brooklyn returns home to take on the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, while Charlotte continues their home stand against the Washington Wizards also on Monday.