Nets Go Cold in Second Half Against Thunder Following Blizzard

Despite Winter Storm Stella hitting New York City on Tuesday, the Brooklyn Nets took on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Poor second half production prevented the Nets from getting the win, and they lost, 122-104.

Brook Lopez scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Brooklyn Nets. Jeremy Lin added 24 points and dished out five assists. Russell Westbrook tallied his 33rd triple this season with a stat line of 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 19 assists. Victor Oladipo contributed 21 points, three rebounds, and four steals.

On the opening tip, Lopez was inadvertently hit in the eye by Steven Adams and lost one of his contacts just seconds later. That didn’t stop him from knocking down the Nets’ first basket, a three, appearing to begin right where he left off on Sunday, when he shot 6-of-9 from distance against the Knicks. Still, the Thunder, led by Westbrook (in more than just the scoring department) and Taj Gibson, went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-5 lead. After one quarter, Westbrook already had eight assists.

The Nets answered with a run of their own. Lin, who struggled in the first half of Brooklyn’s previous game, looked extremely different to start this game. Lin scored six points in his first eight minutes of action. Brook-Lin’s early production, combined with rookie Caris LeVert‘s crafty plays and Trevor Booker‘s shooting stroke, helped the Nets keep things close in the first. Booker ended the first with his second three ball to knot the game up at 32.

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Oklahoma City began to pull away again in the second, opening the period on a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 43-35. A pair of three-pointers, one apiece from Isaiah Whitehead and Randy Foye, helped bring the Nets back within four points. The Thunder went up by as much as 10, but two baskets (and a block!) by Lin halved that deficit.

The first half, particularly the final minutes, included many highlight reels from the Nets. Lopez flipped the ball in with one hand and drew the foul. A steal and electrifying slam by LeVert capped an 8-0 run for the Nets, as they took a 58-57 lead. In the final minute of the half, Lin hit a four-foot jumper as he was falling down. At the end of a rather exciting first half, the game was tied at 62.

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The back-and-forth nature of the first half continued in the third, with both teams slashing one after another. However, the Thunder shot much better than the Nets in the period, allowing them to outscore Brooklyn 29-21. Foye scored the final 10 points of the quarter for the Nets, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Nets within close distance. The Thunder held a 91-83 advantage after three quarters.

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Both teams’ offenses slowed down to start the fourth, as neither team scored for the first two-and-a-half minutes. Quincy Acy logged an impressive block on an Oladipo layup attempt, though the Nets struggled to dig themselves out of their deficit. The Thunder extended their lead to as much as 12.

Another trey from Lopez brought the Nets back within single digits midway into the fourth, but Oladipo answered with a three of his own. Lin also returned to the court after sitting out much of the third quarter. At one point in the final quarter, Lin scored nine consecutive points, and he finished the game with a season-high 24 points.

Still, this wasn’t enough for Brooklyn to come out with the victory. With this 122-104 loss, the Nets still have yet to win two consecutive games this season.

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The Nets drop to 12-54 on the season and will host the New York Knicks next on Thursday.