Brooklyn Nets: 5 takeaways from down-to-wire win at Denver

3. LeVert embracing closer role

Caris LeVert did not have a great offensive game Friday night for the Brooklyn Nets. He didn’t actually have a particularly good one.

But despite his struggles throughout the game, when the Nets needed a basket to take the lead late in a tie game, LeVert wanted the ball.

He got it and delivered (it’s the No. 1 play of the night in the above video, at about the 1:00 mark).

That is a significant step down the road to stardom — the willingness to take the ball in crunch time even on a night where things haven’t often gone your way.

LeVert finished with 17 points — including the game-winning 12-footer with 0.3 second remaining.

In 31 minutes, he was only 6-for-14, made just 1-of-4 from 3-point range and was a ghastly 4-for-9 at the foul line.

To his credit, he kept the ball moving well with five assists and didn’t commit a turnover. He also played terrific defense against Gary Harris, holding Denver’s co-scoring leader coming in to the game to just four points on 1-for-11 shooting.

In a game where the whistles were inconsistent, LeVert got T’d up in the third quarter after a drive to the basket on which he thought he was hacked. Instead, the shot missed and there was a no-call.

And when he did get a call, he struggled to make anything from the stripe.

But with the game on the line, LeVert wanted the ball. He’s accepted that he’s the go-to scorer for this team. And once again, he delivered when it mattered most.

Because that’s what stars do.