Brooklyn Nets: 3 takeaways from 78-69 loss to Minnesota

1 of 4

LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 9: Jarrett Allen #31 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Brooklyn Nets closed out their preliminary round play at the Las Vegas Summer League at 0-3 with a 78-69 loss Monday to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Brooklyn Nets will be seeded no higher than 25th for the tournament phase of the Las Vegas Summer League. They finished preliminary round play Monday night at Cox Pavilion with a 78-69 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves to fall to 0-3.

There are currently six winless teams in Vegas: the Nets, Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers are all 0-3; while the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings wrap up preliminary round play on Tuesday.

Brooklyn did have Jarrett Allen in the starting lineup. Allen did not dress for the first two games. Caris LeVert and Juan Pablo Vaulet did not play, nor did draft picks Dzanan Musa and Rodions Kurucs.

Caris LeVert and Juan Pablo Vaulet are not expected to play tonight for the #Nets. Kurucs and Musa are awaiting their buyouts, but Jarrett Allen could make his #NBASummerLeague debut.
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) July 9, 2018

Additionally, big man Trevor Thompson and guard Bryant Crawford dressed, but did not see action.

First-round pick Josh Okogie nailed a 3-pointer with 4:56 left in the first half to put Minnesota (2-1) up 29-15, its largest lead of the night, before Brooklyn roared back.

Yuta Watanabe canned a corner 3-pointer at the other end to start what would be a 16-0 run by the Nets.

The undrafted free agent from Japan via George Washington ended the run as well, knocking down another corner 3 to tie the game at 29-29 with 1:30 to go in the half and giving Brooklyn its second — and final lead — with a layup off a nice feed from Shawn Dawson with 32 seconds to go.

Minnesota tied it back up on Jonathan Stark’s pull-up jumper with 17 seconds left.

The Timberwolves then scored the first 10 points of the second half to jump back out to a double-digit lead. The Nets fought to close the gap and got it to within one point at 58-57 on a driving layup by Tyler Davis early in the fourth quarter before Minnesota extended the lead again.

Keita Bates-Diop delivered the dagger with a long 3-pointer with 2:54 to go that put the Timberwolves ahead 75-63.

More from Nothin' But Nets

Dawson and Watanabe led the Nets off the bench with 14 points each. Jarrett Allen, making his NBA Summer League debut, had 12 rebounds and five blocked shots, while Kamari Murphy grabbed 10 rebounds.

Jordan McLaughlin notched five assists, while Davis and Watanabe had two blocks apiece.

The Nets were undone by 23 turnovers, with the Timberwolves giving the ball away just 12 times.

Jared Terrell paced Minnesota with 13 points, with Bates-Diop and Okogie each dropping 11 and Josh Gray scoring 10. Amile Jefferson grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked four shots, Okogie had four assists and three steals, while Stark and Bates-Diop each logged four steals.

The preliminary round closes out Tuesday with five games before the tournament phase tips off Wednesday.

Here are three takeaways from Monday night: