Brooklyn Nets: Player grades from last-second win at Denver

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B+. 31 MIN, 17 PTS, 6-for-14 (1-for-4), 2 REB, 5 AST, 2 PF, 1 STL, 1 BLK, even. SG/SF. Brooklyn Nets. CARIS LEVERT

Caris LeVert made the big play at the end, beating Gary Harris‘ suffocating defense up high to get himself open for a 12-foot floater in the lane with 0.3 second remaining to win it.

LeVert also helped suffocate Harris — who came into the game tied for the scoring lead for the Nuggets at 18.5 points per game — on the other end, as Harris scored just four points on 1-of-11 shooting.

The biggest thing LeVert showed throughout the game was maturity. His shot wasn’t there — he missed his last three 3-point attempts — and was being frustrated by what he perceived as a lack of calls when he got into the paint, ultimately picking up a technical foul in the third quarter.

But LeVert battled through it and put the Nets in position to get the win by taking the burden on his shoulders on the final possession.

A-. 31 MIN, 18 PTS, 7-for-14, 9 REB (4 ORB), 2 AST, 3 PF, 1 STL, 5 BLK, -5. C. Brooklyn Nets. JARRETT ALLEN

Jarrett Allen spent much of his night trapped in the Joker’s lair, as Denver star Nikola Jokic made it his mission to get up some shots after taking only 18 in his last four games.

Jokic went for a game-high 37 points and matched a career-high with 21 rebounds, much of that coming while getting single coverage from Allen.

But Allen also contributed to Jokic’s game-high six turnovers, including a crucial traveling call with the game tied 110-110 and 22.1 seconds remaining.

The 20-year-old center also matched a career-high with five blocked shots, showing quick recovery skills against Jokic as well as some nifty swats coming to the rim as a help defender.

Offensively, he stuck with it even in the wake of not one, but two, missed dunks. It was Allen’s flush with 29.4 seconds remaining that tied the game.

Not bad for a guy left on an island much of the night.