Nothin' But Nets
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Despite Playing With Fire, Nets Unable to Defeat Blazers

By Sandy Mui

Mar 4, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) puts up a shot over Portland Trail Blazers forward Noah Vonleh (21) during the first half of the game at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) puts up a shot over Portland Trail Blazers forward Noah Vonleh (21) during the first half of the game at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Brooklyn Nets faced the Portland Trail Blazers in the tail-end of their back-to-back and lost, 130-116.

Brook Lopez scored 26 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Brooklyn Nets. Sean Kilpatrick added 20 points and five assists. CJ McCollum had a game-high 31 points, took down five boards, and dished out five assists for the Blazers. Al-Farouq Aminu contributed 23 points and six rebounds.

The Nets got off to a rocky start, turning the ball over on three consecutive possessions within the first two minutes. Damian Lillard also blew by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for an easy layup, prompting Kenny Atkinson to call a timeout and take Hollis-Jefferson out.

Brooklyn turned the ball over a total of eight times in the quarter, resulting in 10 Blazers points. Portland, on the other hand, only committed three turnovers, and the Nets were only able to capitalize on three points off the Blazers’ follies. After one quarter, the Nets trailed 37-27.

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Poor defense by the Nets to begin the second led to another Brooklyn timeout, as they fell behind 42-29. Brooklyn continued to struggle for another few minutes, though a triple block by Quincy Acy, Isaiah Whitehead, and Spencer Dinwiddie on a McCollum floater attempt drew some ooh’s and ahh’s from the crowd.

Then, led by Caris LeVert and Kilpatrick, the Nets slowly began to turn the game around. With 5:11 remaining in the half, the Nets trimmed the Blazers’ lead to seven points, 51-44. Moments later, a deuce by Hollis-Jefferson brought the Nets within five.

A fadeaway jumper and three-pointer went down for Jeremy Lin, who helped Brooklyn cut the deficit to two, 53-51. With 29 seconds left, the Brook-Lin offense allowed the Nets to tie the game at 55, as Lin dished the ball to Lopez for a hook. The Nets outscored the Blazers 30-21 in the second and turned a 15-point deficit to only one at halftime, 58-57.

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Both teams continued going neck-and-neck to begin the second half, with the game staying tight for the first four minutes of the third quarter. On one play, LeVert wasn’t unable to convert on a layup going up against McCollum, but didn’t give up on the play and got the offensive board. He then attempted a follow-up against Jusuf Nurkic and drew the foul.

Still, the Blazers, powered by Maurice Harkless, began pulling away and went up by nine, 76-67, with 5:26 left in the third. The Nets then went with a smaller unit, which contributed to better defense and made it a five-point game in the final minute of the period. Unfortunately, lack of awareness by Trevor Booker on the Nets’ last possession in the quarter resulted in another turnover, and Portland still led 90-82 after three.

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Spencer Dinwiddie scored on two straight baskets to start the fourth, with the Nets still trailing 95-87. McCollum responded with two shots from downtown to put the Blazers up 103-92 with 8:37 remaining. The Nets would still hang around, with Kilpatrick continuing his hot streak from the first half, hitting two treys of his own to get the Nets within nine, 109-100. At that point, Kilpatrick was shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from downtown.

With 3:01 to go, a three-pointer by Lin made it an eight-point game, 119-111. The Blazers were able to pull out with the victory though, 130-116.

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The Nets drop to 10-51 on the season. They’ll travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies on Monday.